An exotic Balinese cultural show titled Tri Hita Karana is hoped to light up the opening of a two-day annual art fiesta called Gempita Gianyar this Friday night in Ubud.
Tri Hita Karana, which means harmonious relations between humans, God and nature, will feature more than 100 Balinese performers on an open-air stage in Astina soccer field at 9 p.m.
The show presents Dewa Budjana as the music director, teen singer Gita Gutawa, Balinese singer Ayu Laksmi, along with two internationally-acclaimed Balinese dance maestros Ketut Rina and I Nyoman Sura, and Balinese musical maestros Oka Dalem and Bona Alit.
The third art fiesta, which follows those in 2007 and 2008, is also held to recognize the natural and cultural beauty of Ubud, which was recently named “The Best City in Asia” by Conde Nast Traveller, a US-based tourism publication, said Dimas Arief Senoaji from the organizing committee.
Jointly organized by non-profit group Sekar Saji Nusantara and the Gianyar regency administration, the performance is expected to be a landmark event for Ubud and Gianyar in the scope of its art and cultural performances.
Another highly anticipated event is the Ubud Street Bash, which is being hailed as the first-ever carnival of Balinese traditional dance, music and fashion in the city. This carnival will be held on the busiest street of Ubud at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
“More than 1,000 people will join the parade, including seven Balinese traditional dances and musical groups from seven sub-districts in Gianyar presenting parades of Ogoh-ogoh [giant papier-mache dolls] and Jegeg-Bagus [winners of youth beauty pageant],” Dimas said.
He said the street carnival would also stage the Ubud Festival Parade and a fashion parade of Balinese Tenun, showcasing hand-woven masterpieces by 22 Indonesian designers, including Chossy Latu, Denny Wirawan, Deden Siswanto, Ivan Gunawan, Barli Asmara and Ali Charisma.
Gempita Gianyar will also present two other back-to-back programs at this year’s event. The first is the Youth Art Camp, a five-day summer art camp that seeks to involve the young generation in cultural preservation initiatives.
The camp will accept students aged between 15 and 18. They would live in Ubud while at camp and learn first hand about Balinese art, culture and traditions from local artisans.
The participants of the art camp will also perform in the Tri Hita Karana show.
The art fiesta will conclude Saturday night with a Peliatan Royal Heritage Dinner reception hosted by the Gianyar royal court at the Puri Agung Peliatan.
