AsiaAlive
Immerse yourself in the arts of Bali: gamelan music, shadow puppetry, masked dances and the making of sacred offerings. These are just some of the fascinating arts brought to life in AsiaAlive, our drop-in program for all ages featuring live artist demonstrations, hands-on activities, video and more. All AsiaAlive programs are free with museum admission and run from noon to 4:00 pm.
Balinese Painting with I Made Moja
Friday, March 4–Sunday, March 6, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
This Bay Area Balinese artist demonstrates a painting style passed down to him by his father, the renowned I Made Budi. Ink and watercolor compositions in the Batuan style, named for its village of origin, are often very detailed and complex, drawing from Hindu mythology, traditional village life, and nature.
Gamelan Music with Gamelan Gender Wayang
Sunday, March 6, 12:00 noon–2:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Likened to a string quartet in its compact complexity, Gender Wayang is one of the smallest forms of gamelan music (bronze and bamboo ensembles). Appropriate for both intimate gatherings and larger functions, this particular group accompanies shadow puppet theater (wayang kulit), which plays a central role in Balinese life.
Making Balinese Masks with Sean Aquino
Saturday, March 26, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Local artist and performer Sean Aquino demonstrates carving and painting topeng—masks created for a form of dance-drama in which one or more dancers perform stories often concerning ancient or mythical kings and heroes. The topeng tradition explores a wide range of human characteristics, from refined to profane.
Balinese Vocal Music with I Made Suryasa
Friday, April 1 & Saturday, April 2, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
This Balinese artist and performer presents the traditional a cappella performed at Bali-Hindu ceremonies. "Surya" perform sample chants with their lyrics projected in old Javanese (Kawi). See how your name would look spelled in Balinese writing.
Balinese Costumes with Luh Estiti Andarawati and Maria Omo
Saturday, April 2, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Observe the time, love and labor that goes into the costumes and makeup required in one of the most important traditional Balinese dances, the condong (“divine nymph”). See examples of other Balinese ritual clothing and learn how to outfit yourself in a sarong and sash. Dancers will perform a segment of the majestic condong in their full regalia.
Musical Techniques of Bali with Wayne Vitale
Saturday, April 16 & Sunday, April 17, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Hear the complex melodies and rhythms that helped make Bali’s music famous around the world. Composer and gamelan expert Vitale will reveal techniques and demonstrate the playful ingenuity required to synchronize parts and form a seamless whole.
An Insider's Guide to Balinese Music with I Made Arnawa
Friday, May 20–Sunday, May 22, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Composers in Bali have at their command a rich palette of sounds and techniques, from the bronze sonorities of a large gamelan to precise interlocking rhythms and melodies. Composer I Made Arnawa demonstrates and explains a few of his favorite musical strategies. Composer Wayne Vitale translates.
Creating a Cosmos—Symbolic Figures in Balinese Offerings with Jero Made Renten, I Nyoman Sudirman, and Garrett Kam
Wednesdays–Sundays, May 25–June 12, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
In this demonstration, dozens of colored-dough figures representing the cosmos are created for a spectacular offering by Renten and Sudirman. Garrett Kam will interpret and teach you how to make your own cosmological figures.
Bamboo Music of Bali with Samuel Wantman
Friday and Saturday, June 3 and 4, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Watch as member of Gamelan Sekar Jaya and Balinese music expert Sam Wantman demonstrates how Balinese bamboo instruments are made and performed. Learn about different instruments, tunings, and scales, and the path that bamboo music has carved through Bali in the past 150 years. I Made Arnawa (Gamelan Sekar Jaya Guest Music Director), a prolific composer, performer, and teacher, joins Wantman for this interactive demonstration. Arnawa comes from the village of Tunjuk in West Bali, famed for its traditions in music, dance, and theater. He has performed and taught internationally, including tours to Australia, India, several European countries, and the U.S. He has composed extensively for gamelan, and has won numerous awards in the Bali Arts Festival.
Gamelan Music with Anak Swarsanti
Saturday, June 11, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Enjoy this ensemble’s Balinese gamelan village music, with its fast interlocking rhythms and mesmerizing melodies. Anak Swarsanti also presents a fascinating talk on the background and meaning of Balinese music, which carries deep religious and ceremonial symbolism.
Shadow Theater Demonstration with Larry Reed
Saturday, July 16 & Sunday, July 17, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Reed is the founding artistic director of Shadow Theater company ShadowLight Productions. He was one of the first Westerners to train in the traditional Balinese shadow theater (wayang kulit) and one of the first to achieve the title of dalang (“shadow master”). He is also a trailblazer in contemporary shadow theater and this promises to be a captivating performance.
Mask Carving & Dance with Ida Bagus Anom Suryawan
Saturday, July 23 & Sunday, July 24, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Balinese Music with Gamelan Kori Mas
Saturday, July 30 & Sunday, July 31, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
This San Francisco group presents Balinese gamelan music.
Gamelan for Children and Their Families with Kompiang Metri-Davies
Saturday, August 6 & Sunday, August 7, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Learn to play gamelan instruments with artist and musician Metri-Davies, who will show children and parents how to play simple phrases of gamelan music.
Making an Offering with Kompiang Metri-Davies
Saturday, August 13 & Sunday, August 14, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
The Balinese-born artist demonstrates how to make coconut leaf offerings (cecemperan), which she learned from her family in a close-knit village. Learn to make your own offerings using simple materials like paper and staples.
Shadow Puppet Theater of Bali with I Wayan Wija
Wednesdays and Fridays–Sundays, August 17-28,
12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
This widely celebrated puppet master (dalang) of Balinese shadow theater (wayang kulit) demonstrates various aspects of puppet manipulation and their meaning. One of the most beloved and well-attended types of performance in Bali, puppet theater is also performed during religious ceremonies. As a dalang, Wija has a deep knowledge of Balinese classical literature, music and dance. He has mastered the use of his voice and can move in and out of the different characters effortlessly. He also creates his own sets.
Puppet Making Demonstrations with Bapak I Made Sija
Wednesdays–Sundays, August 31–September 11, 12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Master performer, teacher and shadow puppet master Bapak Sija and his son Wayan Sira present intricate art of Balinese puppet making.
Note: Sunday, September 11 AsiaAlive program has been cancelled. Please join the artists for the Bali Closing Ceremony that includes sacred dance, music, and shadow theater and the making of offerings by members of the local Balinese community. Bapak I Made Sija will lead this auspicious ceremony.
