Deep Creativity: Creation & Community Through the Eyes of Balinese Culture

Dear Edgewalkers and Friends of Gamelan Tunas Mekar:

This is merely a quick note to remind you that our first event for the fall is coming up in a week.

On Wednesday September 10th, we are honored to present a most special evening of learning, music, ceremony and an exploration of community and creativity through the eyes of those who deeply understand and love Balinese culture - all led by Pak Made Lasmawan himself.

 If you are someone who.....

* likes to "stretch your edges,"
* wants to see the world from another point of view,
* is interested in how  learning how to build community - in a truly authentic way -by integrating the traditions and insights of a culture that lives community deep in its bones, or
* wants to understand how to integrate the creative spirit into more of your life and work

..... this is an evening you don't want to miss!

Our facilitators are not only dear friends, they are people I personally look to for a deeper understanding of what is possible in our world. Thus,  I cannot say enough about the depth of their knowledge and personal experience with this topic. The kind and loving spirit of community they are about to share with all of us, is a one-of-a-kind experience. Further, this experiential evening will not only entertain you, it will enlighten you in ways you will not forget.

Please join us at the September 10th event, but register now - this event is nearly full! Details are noted below.

Warmest,

Cynthia Kemper
Founder
Edgewalkers Institute

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Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Deep Creativity: Creation & Community Through the Eyes of Balinese Culture
With I Made Lasmawan, Michael Fitts, Dane Terry, and other members of the Balinese Gamelan Tunas MekarOrchestra and Community

Beckoning to westerners from the edge of a warm aquamarine sea on the other side of the world, lies an Asian island still shrouded in mystery and allure. A lush paradise that elicits visions of a country that naturally evokes curiosity.... fascination.... introspection and desire.

For those of us who've had the pleasure of visiting Bali, Indonesia, the mystery, beauty and deep spirituality we've found there touches our soul and lingers forever. But for those few who dig a bit deeper, one soon discovers there is much more to this island culture than exotic allure. The lessons of Balinese culture are not only for the heart and soul-they're for the mind as well.

In a culture where everyone is an artist-and all play a critical part in the Balinese community-creativity and a lifelong commitment to living in connection to others, Earth and God are deeply held principles integral to the Balinese concept of the village or Banjar. As a complex tapestry of spirituality and practicality, the Banjar is actually the foundation of Balinese life and society. Deep within the Balinese soul, their innate understanding of cooperation has much to teach us in our fragmented western world. It is to this learning-a learning that our world needs desperately-that we dedicate this magical evening of sharings, culture, music, Agama Hindu ceremony, dialogue and much more.

Here is just a small taste of the evening the honorable Pak Made Lasmawan and the talented members of the local Denver Gamelan orchestra and Banjar have in store:

The education of a Balinese child begins with the introduction of the concept of the 'Catur Guru,' the 'Four Teachers' who provide all the instruction necessary to transform the child into an adult member of the village. These four are the 'Guru Rupaka,' the child's parents, the 'Guru Pengajian,' the village school teachers, the 'Guru Wisesa,' the local civil authorities, and the 'Guru Swadiaya,' the Balinese Hindu deities (including the supreme God, Sanghyang Widi Wasa). These four sources of learning occupy an ascending hierarchy, with the Gods' teachings preeminent above the others.

These three elements of human social life are called 'Tri Kaya Parisuda.' The goal of this instructional path is to bring about an agreement in philosophy, conversing and acting among the village populace.

Possessing an education built on this foundation is what permits the Balinese to pass successfully through a world of 'Rwa Bhineda,' or diametric opposites. The Balinese see our world as made up of countless of these opposing pairs, such as male and female, day and night, and most of all, good and evil. Believing the safety of their lives and society to depend on a continuing balance of all these forces, Balinese direct their prayers toward this end. [To make these principles even more relevant, Pak Made will discuss this principle in relationship to the recent terrorist bombing of the Kuta nightclub.]

To pursue this path is to realize a steady progress of 'Jati Diri,' the individual's spiritual essence. And for every individual Balinese, the most powerful expression of 'Jati Diri' is full participation in the village political structure, or Banjar, and in the spirit of communal work, or 'Gotong Royong.'

Please join us in this first ever Colorado-based rare exploration of Balinese history and life; concepts of unity and balance; the organized village or Banjar community; and the idea of connection as it relates to hierarchy, nature, humanity and God. Come learn what the Balinese mean when they say, "The circle of life never stops," and join us in the never-ending global circle of life.

Master Balinese drummer and composer I Made Lasmawan was born in the village of Bangah, in the Baturiti region of the regency of Tabanan, Bali in 1958. Strongly influenced by his family and involved in the arts since childhood, he received degrees in the Traditional Performing Arts of Bali (KOKAR, Denpasar, Bali, 1977) and Traditional Indonesian Music [STSI, Surakarta, Central Java, 1983). He is a prolific composer who taught Balinese music at STSI until 1990, when he was invited to San Diego State University to teach Javanese and Balinese music. Living in Colorado since 1993 as Artist-in-Residence with Gamelan Tunas Mekar, Pak Lasmawan also teaches Balinese gamelan at Colorado College, Naropa University, the University of Wyoming and the University of Colorado. Pak Lasmawan has traveled throughout the world, and has taught throughout the U.S. He is accompanied in the United States by his wife (a Balinese dancer), Ni Ketut Marni and his sons, Putu Tangkas Adi Mayena (dancer and musician), Ade and Aji. When in Bali, Pak Lasmawan continues to play a lead role in the development of his home village's musical orchestras.

Michael Fitts, an integral part of the Colorado music community, is president of Tunas Mekar, Inc., a Colorado nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, and respected founder of the "Synergy Music Group, Inc."-a music promotion and entertainment company and jazz label that has recorded some 30 leading jazz projects.

Dane Terry, a founding member of the Gamelan Tunas Mekar, lived his early years on a U.S. Army post on a mountain in northern Ethiopia. There he listened to Coptic drumming, American parade music, his father's Stan Getz albums, and his mother's church organ playing. He has resisted categorization ever since. Dane has played timpani with the Pepperdine University Symphony, drums in the Arizona State Marching Band and rock-n-roll guitar in Antarctica where he was a field engineer for Antarctica Support Associates.
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TO REGISTER:

Member:    $30 per event / $75 for series of 3
Non-Member: $40 per event / $105 for series of 3

Please Note: All Edgewalkers Dialogues events are held at the downtown-Denver LODO Tattered Cover 3rd Floor Conference Room starting at 5pm and ending at approximately 8:30pm.

For payment, send check or call/fax VISA or Mastercard credit card information to:

Cynthia Kemper
Edgewalkers Institute
P.O. Box 200116
Denver, Colorado 80220
tel: 303.333.1393
fax: 303.333.2523
ckemper@...

Please Note: Advance-reservations must be received 2 days before event. Space is limited! To inquire about becoming a member [$95 & $155 annually] and receiving the Edgewalkers Insight e-journal, please see www.edgewalkers.com, or contact publisher Cynthia Kemper, at 303.333.1393.

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Cynthia Kemper
Founder & Publisher
Edgewalkers Institute-An Incubator for the Cultivation & Connection of New Century Thought Leaders
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"Catalyzing a New Global Leadership Paradigm through Thought Leader Development, Deep Dialogue & Innovative Group Process"-for more information on our thought leader coaching, group facilitation,  leadership development intensives and/or retreat design see our website below, or call.
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P.O. Box 200116
Denver, Colorado 80220 USA
tel: 303.333.1393
fax: 303.333.2523
email: ckemper@...
website: www.edgewalkers.com
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THE EDGEWALKERS INSTITUTE is an incubator for focused, thoughtful leaders committed to personal and professional evolution; a vital, innovative, gathering-teaching-learning space for the global leaders of our times. Our services focus on the cultivation, coaching, illumination and connection of 21st century thought and action leaders who live at the borderlands of new global thought. An Edgewalkers community membership provides a plethora of fresh, evocative insight and illumination via a myriad of face-to-face and virtual events; the ground breaking Edgewalkers Insight e-Journal; and specialized programs and forums designed to keep today's leaders at their developmental edge. For more information see www.edgewalkers.com.
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