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riter, poet and dancer Cokorda Sawitri, or better known as Cok Sawitri, has proven her creative talent and succeeded in complementing the Indonesian art scene.

Born on Sept. 1, 1968, in the village of Sidemen, Karangasem, Bali, Cok Sawitri has been producing works of art since elementary school. Besides writing poems and short stories, Cok teaches traditional and modern Balinese dances and is often involved in staging various stage performances.

As one of the curators of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) 2010 together with writer Triyanto Triwikromo, and M. Aan Mansyur, Cok is currently busy training a group of non-dancers to perform the Conversation of Sunya Nirwana on the opening night of UWRF in October.

The Conversation of Sunya Nirwana is a stage performance taken from Cok’s novel  Sutasoma, which she launched during last year’s UWRF. The Sutasoma novel was inspired by the work of the known pujangga (poet) Empu Tantular, which by tradition is split into two verses; one Balinese and the other Javanese.

“This performance is a real challenge for me, as I’m training a group of teenagers who have never danced on the stage before. After the first three weeks I nearly gave up. I only had two months to prepare the group, so every day we trained except on religious holidays,” Cok Sawitri explained.

The group of non-dancers consists of 12 youths ranging between 15 and 16 years of age, and four adults who will dance the roles of Jayantaka and Sutasoma. The teenagers have been recruited from nearby surroundings.

“These teens are not art school students and most of them have never danced before. I found them through the village high school SMAN I Sidemen located in Sidemen village, Karangasem, Bali,” she added, “The high school which was formerly called SMA Sidhamahan, has possessed local content since it was established. The school, together with its teachers, has always been very supportive and helpful with this cultural process.”

Cok Sawitri has written a number of short stories, poems, articles besides actively participating in social cultural events.

She is active in various women and humanity organizations as well as theatrical groups in Bali.

She collaborated with Dean Moss, New York, in 2006. Cok Sawitri’s works include: Meditasi Rahim (Meditation of the Womb) in 1991, Pembelaan Dirah (Dirah’s Defense) and Ni Garu poem in 1996, Permainan Gelap Terang (The Game of Light and Dark) in 1997, Sekuel Pembelaan Dirah (Dirah’s Defence sequel) in 1997, Hanya Angin Hanya Waktu (Only Wind Only Time) in 1998, Pembelaan Dirah (Dirah’s Defense) in the monologue festival in Bali, 1999, Puitika Melamar Tuhan (Puitika Asks The Hand of God) in 2001, Anjing Perempuanku (My Female Dog) in Denpasar, Singaraja, Karangasem 2003, Aku Bukan Perempuan Lagi (I’m not a Woman Anymore) 2004.