We have just come back from the 16^th Asian Games in Guangzhou after successfully managing the Mekar Bhuana Conservatory Gamelan and Dance Troupe at a concert series in this bustling city of 11 million.

The troupe performed rare and extinct semar pegulingan gamelan music accompanying gambuh and classical dances, with the performances extremely well-received by the international audience as well as the Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sport, Andi Mallarangeng, who was present with his wife and officials from the Consulate General of Indonesia in Guangzhou (see: article on in Indonesian Consulate General in China’s website).

“Indonesia gained a number of gold medals while I was present at the Asian Games…and I’m sure that if there had been a gamelan competition, Mekar Bhuana would have got gold too!” enthused the Minister, adding that even though he had been to Bali many times he had never seen this classical court style of Balinese gamelan and dance, especially using antique instruments.

It’s awesome to know that there are people who appreciate the efforts our musicians and dancers, who have learnt much of the material from vintage recordings, because there are no guru left in Bali who remember the art-forms. We are proud to support the preservation of traditional music and dance, and we hope that the Minister and others can help to gain further support to help Balinese document and preserve village performing art-forms.

When we were not managing the troupe, we had the opportunity to watch other groups from parts of Asia, including Burma, Iran, Mongolia and Tuva, who represented a mixture of the old and the new. The people of Guangzhou were lucky to catch such quality performances; of course, many of the shows were packed out.

We enjoyed our China experience and it was a pleasure to work with the Asian Games organising committee in Guangzhou. It was great to be able to help Bali be represented at this prestigious sporting event. We plan to organise more tours for Mekar Bhuana next year, including to other parts of Asia as well as Europe.

Check out the troupes photos, audio samples and video clips of the performances under the Multimedia tab on their website. Also, don’t forget to follow them on Facebook and Twitter: Mekar Bhuana Conservatory.

Events and festivals can get in touch with our team of event organisers by contacting us via email.

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