Onstage: Bali’s stage community

Bali has its own stage community, that holds performances of dance, theatre, film and art. The community is called Onstage. Recently I met Jane Chen, one of the people involved in Onstage. She gave me the history and details of an upcoming event.

Indonesia is a jungle of tradition. Bali, as only one of Indonesia’s provinces, has already become a window for the world to see the variety of traditions and cultures of Indonesia and other parts of the world. The multiculturalism of Bali has become the “melting pot” of the world, or perhaps a better word is the “gado-gado” salad, where flavors meet and meld but do not necessarily melt one into the other. Here in Bali, artists from all over the world can come together to share their wealth of knowledge through movement, colour and sound.

One of the communities that are aware of this diverse richness is the Stage Community. ON STAGE will hold regular cultural events in the form of dance, theatre, film and art exhibitions.

ON STAGE and its Community feels it important to hold these events to celebrate the diversity in the universal human spirit.

This “On STAGE ‘ concept is what Bali has needed for sometime, and is long overdue.

By starting to provide a monthly venue, ON STAGE will open the door of appreciation for the vast diversity of Performing Arts and what it has to offer.

•Background
Due to the uncertainty of the times, the harsh reality of today is far from perfect.

On the other hand, uncertainty can give birth to a new community and a new creativity. One of these creative elements is to create and develop a community and an intra-intercultural interaction in the midst of this growing multicultural world via an artistic process of performing arts (dance, theatre and music). Other artists and art forms can easily be incorporated : film-makers, painters, sculptors, fashion, cuisine more.

This process will create, honor, develop and build a discourse on art and life that is rooted in the past but possesses the challenges of the future that are becoming more multicultural.

The presence of ON STAGE in Bali is a vessel that can bridge and create a space for cultural communication through performances, workshops, seminars and other forms of positive interaction.

•Vision:
Continuously create and develop art and a new public space – a community and society with the perspective and spirit of multiculturalism. ON STAGE will also strive to develop, nurture and build art appreciation in Bali.

•Mission:
Support the creative process of artists in creating new works and an appreciate public audience.

•Aim:
To form a comprehensive artistic process and a sustainable program that can find meaning in the life of an individual, a society and an environment.

•Program:
Seminars, workshops, festivals, performances, publications of journals/bulletins/books, showings of art and film and residencies. There will be yearly and incidental programs.

•Funding:
As a not for profit cultural organization, ON STAGE is now welcoming donors. to support this worthwhile

•Partnership:
Expatriate community, Tourism Board of Bali, local and international art groups, cultural aficionados, artists, critics, writers, print and electronic music, and more.

‘This December OnStage has the pleasure of presenting a very special dance performance by the Japanese Collective “Wangnin Bunmei”. This wonderful introduction to the vibrant and sometimes crazy world of Japanese contemporary dance is taking place on Friday December 1st at 17.30 PM in The Oriental Theatre, just off Jalan Nakula, Legian.

The special performance featuring the styles of modern dance that are rarely seen in Bali. Drawing from years of training in different styles from Jazz to BUTOH the performers simultaneously embrace and reject their training and provide an improvisational and spontaneous performance accompanied by the musicians. Essentially we cannot tell you what to expect from this performance: It is fresh and different, lighthearted and joyous. It is called the Wangnin Train.

The Wangnin train is not a real train. Only the people who believe in it can ride on it and it takes them to another world. Where will the train take them? Nobody comes back so nobody in this world knows where it goes!

This performance is an ideal introduction to Japanese dance and culture on many levels. It is suitable for all ages as they delight in the spontaneity on stage. It is highly visual and musical and would be very much enjoyed by students involved in the performing arts in the primary, junior or high school ages. The Wangnin Train provides a fascinating insight into the role of contemporary arts as a tool for social rebellion or social awakening. Wangnin Bunmei can open the doors for discussion of the role of art and dance in cultural revolutions and radical change movements. School students studying the history of world change would enjoy this performance.

This eccentric and eclectic dance troupe love to entertain and to perform and they love to cause a reaction. Be ready; for who ever returns from seeing the Wangnin Train leave the station will have something to say about it!’