Representing the East at the Festival this year is the Indonesian College of the Arts Sekolah Tinggi Seni of Denpasar, an institution that has been the repository of the ancient musical and choreographic tradition of the island of Bali since the 1960s. Having become the National Academy of the Arts in 1983, the Denpasar school has a teaching staff of around one hundred and thirty professors. In addition to studying at the Academy, students combine their studies with visits to those villages where the island's original performance culture is still practised today. This activity allows them to learn the secrets of the traditional Balinese arts from the indigenous masters and to participate in the village performances. "The Rejection of Ratnamangali" revolves around a contrasting theme central to Balinese tradition, the struggle between good and evil, a dualistic concept belonging to the Hindu religion. A true danced drama, the performance tells the story of a repudiation, caused by the terror of future spells linked to black magic and diabolical mythological characters. The King of Daha Erlangga is about to marry Ratnamangali, the only daughter of Calonarang, an expert in black magic. On the threshold of the wedding, the ministers desert the Palace of Erlangga in disapproval. It is feared that the union between the King and Calonarang's daughter will bring misfortune to the kingdom of Daha. Listening to Minister Madri, the King decides to repudiate Ratnamangali. The bride is returned to her mother who, in return for the offence received, sends her disciples to Daha to take revenge on Erlangga, destroying his kingdom. An epidemic breaks out, bringing the entire country to its knees. Against Calonarang, Minister Taskara Maguna ventures to fight, unsuccessfully. To defeat the queen of black magic will be the wise Bharadah who, in the guise of the mythological animal barong - the father of white magic - will put an end to the epidemic. Divided into four acts, the narration of Ratnamangali's story is preceded, as is the custom in a Barong drama, by a procession of the performers. Before the actual beginning of the performance, it is indeed customary to bless the performance space in order to obtain permission from the spirits to dance. This is followed by an instrumental piece, the Sekar Genndot: this is a piece with a complex rhythm, performed by metallophones and called kotekan. Finally, the ensemble performs the Barong dance and the Telek dance. The first is danced by men who, in pairs, imitate the imaginary figure of the barong, a wild animal seen as the protector god of the forest. One dancer for head and front legs, one for hind legs and tail. The Telek is a classical masked dance, representing the conflict between the good and the sea and performed by two groups, one male and one female. The women wear unique headdresses and symbolise divine figures. The men wear special red masks on their faces. Performances such as these belong to the centuries-old category of performing arts in Bali, called Balih-balihan. The dances performed in the temples, on the other hand, belong to the Wali (sacred-religious) and Babali (ceremonial) genres.
