Palm up, knees up: These children, who are deaf or have disabilities, focus on hand signals that lead them through the intricate moves of Balinese dance. (JP/J.B. Djwan)

Rhythms and tempos of the silent melodies embedded in Bendesa's hands fly like birds for the children in the deaf dance troupe, their eyes glued to his singing hands, their bodies following the movements.

"These deaf children learn traditional dance and know this is also their Balinese birthright - to feel their culture and not be observers only of that culture, because of their disabilities," says Ketut Gede Bendesa.

This is one of the reasons why, two years ago, he began teaching dance to deaf children and children with disabilities.

These bright-eyed young dancers are from Panti Asuhan (orphanage) Kesayan Ikang Papa, attached to Sekolah Dasar Luar Biasa, or elementary school for children with disabilities (SDLB) in Gianyar, Bali.

"At the time I was teaching normal kids in my Gianyar studio, Sekar Dewata. Some kids from the special school were coming along to watch and I thought I needed to create some form of code so I could teach these kids also to dance," says the 36-year-old graduate of Yogyakarta's Institute of Arts (ISI).

"Every country has its own culture and everyone has the right to own and be a part of that culture. These kids now, despite their disabilities, can dance and feel the pride of being active within their Balinese cultural traditions."

Out of this belief grew Bendesa's drive to create and experiment with the hand signals that function as music to these children.

"To get the idea across I first show the kids the dance and then the codes that go with each position. After that I explain if I signal like this, you move your body like that," says Bendesa who spent many months "composing" the codes that would allow the deaf to dance.

He points out that adjusting the tempo, direction, position and rhythm during the children's dances, without the support of gamelan music, but only through his finger codes, is difficult.

"I move my hands gently to tell fast from slow, other signals show to sit, others to return to the semi-squat position called the medium position," says Bendesa.

Other hand signals fall like waves that direct a troupe of boys to move left or right, a rapid palm up means raise the knee; the boys follow the signals, forming classical Balinese dance steps and positions.

In the front row is 7-year-old Ketut and her dancing mate, 8-year-old Made Hari R. Both children are deaf, and Ketut also has severe facial deformities. But get these two little kids dancing the male roles and they take on the expressions and stances of great warriors, their faces alight with imagined battles as they strut through the dance moves, each step performed with every ounce of focus they have.

"Ketut prefers the classical boys' dances to the girls' dances, so she dances the warrior dance with the boys' troupe," explains Bendesa of this little crop-haired tomboy whose twin sister, with waist-length hair, dances in the girls' troupe.

These children dance beautifully - it's difficult to drag your eyes away from their movements.

"Yes, these kids are all really talented," says Bendesa. "I find these deaf and disabled kids learn the dances faster than the normal kids. Normal kids take between one and three months to get the dance moves. They have the support of gamelan and can hear me when I give direction. These kids from the orphanage and special school pick up the steps within six weeks. Not only do they have to learn all the steps, but my hand signals as well.

"These are special kids."

This is a view the children themselves are beginning to share, since they started to dance, according to the head of the orphanage, Nyoman Sukantha. At 63 years of age, Sukantha came out of retirement to take on his role at the orphanage.

"This program was started by Ketut Bendesa in 2007. At that time we did not have dance or sport for the kids. We did have a program for the kids making religious items for temples," Sukantha says.

"What we have seen since this dance program is a great rise in the kids' self-esteem. In the past, they could be naughty - probably through frustration with their disability. They often cried. Since they started dancing their behavior is much better and they are so self-confident - they now feel they can go into the world, they are more engaged with that world."

He adds most of the children living at the orphanage are from impoverished families who live in villages far from the center of Gianyar. The distance makes it impossible for the kids to go home each day.

These parents have suffered humiliation in their small villages because of their children's disabilities, Sukantha explains. He points out that, in Bali, disabilities are shaming to families, and children with disabilities are often hidden away. But thanks to the dance program, these parents are falling in love with their children all over again.

"The parents are so very proud," he says. "They never miss a performance, even though they have to travel very long distances to come and watch their children perform."

His hope is that that pride will extend to their home communities and that the communities will realize what the children can bring them.

"Into the future, when these kids go home to their parents and villages, I hope they will take with them skills that will be of benefit to those communities and families," he says. "At present the kids are learning to dance, but we plan to extend the program and teach the kids to make the costumes needed in these dances."

Dancing for the deaf is nothing new: Several troupes around the world encourage dance as a valuable medium for expression among people who are deaf or have disabilities. However, Bendesa's commitment to ensuring cultural access for all through traditional dance takes the notion further.

"I would like to see this program picked up nationally, or internationally, because many people are disabled, so they are limited in life. But they still have ownership over their own culture and the right to be engaged with that culture," says Bendesa.

Funding for the orphanage and school comes mainly from the government, according to Sukantha, although private donors are the backbone of the dance program. "We have private donors, mostly from Australia and Holland. We are grateful, because with that support these kids have a much brighter future."

Students of the orphanage and SDLB will perform at the Balai Budaya in Gianyar during July.

"The performance will be made up of the normal kids and these super special kids," says Bendesa.

For more information or to support the school and orphanage costume and dance program, contact Nyoman Sukantha on 0361 791 2198 or Ketut Bendesa at sekardewata@gmail.com

Popular

Why Indonesia must write ASEAN’s green rules

Freeport Indonesia pushes back full copper mine restart

Growth without gain: Why Indonesians don't feel the economy