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Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 6:00PM
East-West Center Friendship Circle

Free

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Center for Southeast Asian Studies Balinese Gamelan Music and Dance Ensemble

“Taksu” is a Sanskritic Hindu Balinese word and concept roughly translatable to “inner energy” or ” creative soul” or “creative genius” typically thought of as an external entity that chooses a performer to be its vessel. So when a performer has that certain something you can’t quite describe, sometimes even one with less technical prowess than another, but they really captured your eyes and attention as they perform at a particular moment in time, you say “Oh, they have taksu.”

This performance will feature instrumental music performed on live gamelan instruments and dances performed to prerecorded music. This presentation marks the first performance by the ensemble following a 3-year hiatus due to COVID.

Balinese performing arts are well-known internationally for its virtuosity and dynamic character. In Bali musicians and dancers work together to create highly unified performances where the music and dance are interrelated and inseparable. Much of the Balinese gamelan music and dance repertoire has its roots in Balinese Hindu ritual and ceremonial performance.

This event is supported in part by the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the East-West Center Arts Program.