A BALI HOLIDAY

A FREE holiday family event featuring the music and dance of Bali, Indonesia

What:   A Bali Holiday, music and dance of Bali, Indonesia including Topeng mask dance
Who:    Gamelan Tunas Mekar with guest Balinese dancers and Catur Eka Santi (gender wayang ensemble)
Where:  Hamilton Recital Hall at the University of Denver’s Newman Center, 2344 E. Iliff Ave., Denver, CO 80208
When:   Sunday, December 18, 5-6pm. Doors at 4:30pm with music by Catur Eka Santi and travel video.
Cost:   Free


    Gamelan Tunas Mekar invites you to warm up your holidays with the unique, tropical sounds of Bali. Experience intricate interlocking rhythms and dynamic flurries of percussion performed on the exotic bronze instruments of the Balinese gamelan. Shimmering compositions are woven together with story-telling dance for an effect that is both startling and compelling.

    Tunas Mekar, sponsored by the Los Angeles Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia and the University of Denver Lamont School of Music, will perform a concert of instrumental and dance pieces, including Panyembrama, a traditional village welcome dance, and the ancient theatrical Topeng masked dance, on the gamelan angklung. Colorado-based Balinese dancer Ni Ketut Marni will be joined by special guests Ni Ayu Putu Niastarika of Kansas City and I Gusti Ngurah Kertayuda of Chicago. This is a rare opportunity to see these delightful dances and experience the rich culture of Indonesia. The event is open to the public and admission is FREE.
 
   This performance, which is also designed to increase awareness of Indonesia as a travel destination, will be held on December 18th, 2005 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Hamilton Recital Hall at the University of Denver’s Newman Center, located at 2344 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver, CO 80208. The doors will open at 4:30 p.m., and the concert will be preceded by a video provided by the Consulate depicting the many scenic and cultural aspects of the Indonesian Archipelago. Tunas Mekar’s sister group, Catur Eka Santi, will perform the music of the Balinese shadow puppet play on the exquisite gamelan gender wayang. Catur Eka Santi will play for 20 minutes starting at 4:30 p.m. Tunas Mekar, joined by guest Balinese dancers, will perform on the gamelan angklung from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
 
   Gamelan Tunas Mekar, founded in 1988, is a group of 20 musicians from Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs and Ft. Collins. Balinese gamelan music is highly rhythmic, utilizing various gongs, drums and metallophones (bronze bars suspended over bamboo resonators and struck with wooden mallets) encased in ornate hand-carved jackfruit wood. Bamboo flutes, or sulings, embellish the basic melodies. The gamelan angklung is an orchestra traditionally used for temple ceremonies. The Sanskrit root of the word gamelan means “to hammer,” and it is truly powerful and exciting to hear 20 people “hammer” heavy bronze bars in synchronized rhythms, accompanied by the sweet sound of bamboo flutes and Bali-style singing over a foundation provided by large gongs.
 
   This event promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a rare occasion for the public to enjoy traditional Balinese music and dance for FREE, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Indonesian Consulate of Los Angeles and the University of Denver Lamont School of Music. Seating is limited, however, so please come early to be assured of a seat. Parking is available for a fee in the Newman Center's parking garage; street parking may be found to the east of University Boulevard.

    Don't miss this opportunity to experience the music and dance of Bali in one of Denver's finest concert halls.

    For more information and to join Tunas Mekar’s e-mail list visit http://www.tunasmekar.org or call (303) 433-3782.