UI celebrates the arts: A dancer's diary

Putu Geniki L. Natih ,  Year 1, Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia   |  Sun, 05/25/2008 12:01 PM  |  Discover

As I stood backstage on the morning of May 15, waiting for the notes of the gamelan to herald our entrance, I felt that same tingle of excitement and butterflies in the stomach I had the first time I ever danced at Taman Miniin Grade 2.

For a fleeting moment, time stood still and then suddenly, my seven fellow dancers and I, called to the present by the trilling of the gamelan, moved on stage to welcome representatives of the University of Indonesia (UI)'s rectorate and other distinguished guests attending this year's arts festival.

Students of the University of Indonesia not only put heart and soul into their chosen fields of study, but also take up cocurricular activities in various areas of the arts, culture and sport.

Speakers at this year's Gelar Karya Seni Mahasiswaarts and culture student exhibitionnoted the vital role that the different branches of the arts play in enriching a student's tertiary education. They also praised the creativity and versatility of UI lecturers and students as true "multitaskers" who were able to shine in the visual and performing arts as well as in the theoretical aspects of academic learning.

UI's Gelar Karya Seni Mahasiswa is an annual event held at the end of every academic year. Hosted at the Faculty of Arts, it is designed to showcase student work.

Exhibitions of paintings, photographs and new batik designs demonstrate their investigation of past cultures and art forms, in addition to exploring the excitement of creating masterpieces in this day and age. Traditional music and dance are also important aspects of these cultural investigations.

Balinese dance and gamelan are popular electives, with students from many different faculties meeting once a week from 4-5:30 p.m. under the guidance of Made Suparta and Luh Puspa Handayani.

While dancing and playing the gamelan make for a refreshing break amid the busy schedule of lectures and tutorials of university life, the discussions about the role of dance in Balinese society, the stories behind the various dances we learn and history of Balinese performing arts are fascinating.

It is also good to have a chance to get to know students from other faculties and to learn about their fields. As intellectual workers of the future, one of the most important skills we must develop at university is getting along with others whose fields may be very different from our own; one day, we may need each other's help.

The dance we performed at the opening of the arts festival is called Puspawresti, or "rain flowers". Puspawresti is performed to welcome distinguished guests and may be considered somewhat modern, since it was created in 1981.

Like so many Balinese dances, much of Puspawresti's beauty stems from that glorious fusion of delicate fluttering fingers, intricate eye movements, sweeping gestures, grace and energy.

Adhering to the pattern of other welcome dances such as Pendet and Panyembrama, Puspawresti concludes with the dancers strewing flower petals towards the audience as a gesture of respect.

When I was young, this was always my favorite part of the dance. The velvety flower petals I threw would fall in delicate arcs to make a scented carpet onstage; how I longed to gather them up.

The day's event concluded with a Balinese gamelan recital. The piece, known as Bleganjur and Gilang Prabu, while proclaiming that traditional music is a unique and vibrant aspect of Indonesian culture, seemed also to reveal that music is a universal language which can bring together university students, diverse societies and surely, mankind.

The pirouettes and cascades of metallic tones, along with the crashes of gongs and cymbals, juxtaposed the flute and drums and spoke eloquently of human diversity and the great things that can happen when we have cooperation and understanding.

It is a wonderful composition that was much appreciated by the audience of university officials, lecturers and students.

If we wish to attain true mastery of dance or gamelan, painting or designing batik, as with all things in life, we must keep practicing and never lose that joyful spirit of learning.

It is this very spirit of learning which now must be applied to my books, for the approaching end of this semester also means thattime for examinations.

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