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Book Nook: Ill Will
October 11, 2019
Secrets from Seventeen Years of Long Island Night
Aly Fogel
, Arts Editor
October 4, 2019
An Obie Recommends: “Night in the Woods” Video Game
Kirsten Heuring
October 4, 2019
Gamelan and Bali Dance Group Perform at Finney Chapel
Rachel Fang
October 4, 2019
Jordanian-Palestinian Band 47SOUL Performs at ‘Sco
Carson Dowhan
, Senior Staff Writer
October 4, 2019
Neva Cockrell and Raphael Sacks, OC ’09
Kate Fishman
, Managing Editor
October 4, 2019
New Food Columnists Rate Dining Hall Desserts
Ella Halbert
and
Jordan Rempel-White
October 4, 2019
Crossword Answers
Lauren O'Hear
October 4, 2019
Comic
Clair Wang
, Illustrator
October 4, 2019
Art and Gender: Behind Japanese Noh Theater
Carson Dowhan
, Senior Staff Writer
September 27, 2019
“Hustlers” Promises Radical Feminism, Delivers Tired Tropes
Lyala Khan
September 27, 2019
Book Nook Monthly Reviews: Alison Bechdel’s “Fun Home”
Kate Fishman
and
Olive Hwang
September 27, 2019
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![One of the most respected Balinese performing companies, Çudamani, came to Oberlin to perform in Finney Chapel last Tuesday. The 18-member company is internationally recognized, and their Oberlin performance was part of their world tour. The group name Çudamani means “to do something with your whole heart without expecting something in return,” according to the group’s website. Watching their performance, it’s easy to see this goal come to life through their passion.
The performance integrated costumes, dancing, vocal performances, and Gamelan, which is music played using traditional Indonesian instruments. Each of their performances had a specific theme. “Teruna Gandrung” showcases a tradition of challenging gender norms, featuring women in energetic, fearless, and powerful roles. Another piece called “Ramayana Wayang Wong” featured two people dressed in red and yellow, wearing masks. The story followed twin brothers who jumped into a pool of water while fighting over a chalice. After they fell into the water, they turned into monkeys.
There were also sections in which dancers improvised their movements and signaled to the percussionists to change the tempo and melody. In order to communicate while on stage, performers made eye contact with each other and smiled.
“We are told to put ourselves into the story but not just technical movements, so we don’t practice with mirrors, because my teacher said that it is better to feel your partner than watch them in the mirror,” said Dewa Ayu Eka Putri, one of the dancers and the group’s secretary.
In addition to performing, Çudamani holds workshops wherever they tour including at Oberlin this past week.
“Çudamani told not only traditional dramas but also shared stories about their community and philosophy of collective care,” College fourth-year Kara Nepomuceno, a Dance major studying Southeast Asian dance, wrote in an email to the Review. “In [the] workshop held on Wednesday morning, Associate Director Emiko Saraswati Susilo described how the group collectively owns the instruments at their home base of Banjar Pengosekan.”
The group also has permanent summer programs in Bali that teach people about their dances and instruments in order to preserve their traditions and spread knowledge of their culture.](https://oberlinreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/GamelanDance_OfficeofComms_WEB-900x577.jpg)
