The best of Bali Arts International Festival

Thu, June 16, 2016 / 11:37 am

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Performers prep for the street parade during the opening of the 38th Bali International Arts Festival. JP/Agung Parameswara
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, flanked by [from left to right] Education and Culture Minister Anies Baswedan, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya and Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, officially opens the festival. JP/ Agung Parameswara
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A Balinese dancer stands on the shoulders of other dancers during the street parade. JP/Agung Parameswara
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Balinese women perform a traditional dance during the street parade. JP/Agung Parameswara
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Young performers also joined the parade. JP/Agung Parameswara
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Balinese dancers perform a colossal dance at Bajra Sandhi in Denpasar. JP/Agung Parameswara
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Artists from other regions, such as Jakarta, East Java, East Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, West Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta joined the crowd. JP/Agung Parameswara
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Balinese women carry a traditional offering during the cultural parade. JP/ Agung Parameswara
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Balinese dancers perform with decorative fans. JP/Agung Parameswara
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Dancers perform a Balinese war dance. JP/Agung Parameswara
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Balinese men perform a traditional dance during the parade. JP/Agung Parameswara
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Les Grandes Personnes, four giant effigies at the street parade. JP/Agung Parameswara

The 38th Bali International Arts Festival kicked off on June 11, with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo joining a street parade alongside thousands of artists.

The parade took place in Renon, Denpasar, where all participants encircled the Bajra sandhi Monument, a museum built in the form of a giant genta — a sacred bell used by Hindu high priests. Participants arrived from across the archipelago, including Jakarta, East Java, East Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, West Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta.

More than 300 traditional and contemporary arts performances are scheduled throughout Bali’s biggest cultural festival. Around 15,000 artists are expected to take part in the month-long cultural festival, with events scheduled until July 11. The Bali Arts Festival was initiated in 1979 when then-governor Ida Bagus Mantra decided that the local government should provide space and funding to promote local culture so as to nurture an aesthetic community. [dmr]