Cambridge, MA, 3/24/2019 - As one of our missions to promote Indonesian arts and culture to the New England community, ICONE has concluded its first Balinese dance workshop in Cambridge, Massachusetts today. In this 3-week workshop, beginner level participants learned the basic movements of Puspa Wresti dance, a popular traditional Balinese dance inspired by the celebration of the Gods' descent to earth.
Dressed in Balinese songket sarongs while enjoying each other's companionship throughout the workshop, the participants immersed in the delicate yet striking individual postures and gestures that form the basics of Balinese dance, one of UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage. They learned how to dance with various components of a Balinese dance including different "agem" (fundamental postures), "tandang" (transitional movements), and "tangkep" (facial expressions). They were also able to integrate all these with the sound beats of enchanting Balinese gamelan.
Special thank you to our native and experienced dance instructor, I Made Subagiarta, for passionately and skillfully trained our participants with their first Balinese dance steps. We'd also like to express our gratitude to the Indonesian Education and Cultural Attache, Prof. Popy Rufaidah and her team at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Washington DC for supporting ICONE in organizing this program. Thank you as well to our volunteers, Dimas Muhamad and Hafiz Al Asad, for bringing the Balinese clothing ensembles all the way from Indonesia. Last but not the least, thank you to ICONE's President, Olla Chas, for spearheading this program, as well as ICONE's Director of Education, Art, and Culture, Dhini Purnamasari, for arranging and managing the workshop to a success.