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| On March 25, 2000 students at The Museum School in San Diego, CA, after
two months of training in Balinese dance, gamelan angklung ensemble performance, and
cultural studies, presented a Balinese Odalan festival for parents and guests. As
part of this celebration, they thanked their teachers, Center for World Music Year 2000 Artists in Residence I Nyoman Sumandhi and Ni
Putu Sutiati, together with teaching assistants Alex Khalil and Kaori Okado, and Center
president Robert E. Brown. In Bali, an Odalan celebrates the yearly temple anniversaries with music, food, and entertainment. At The Museum School the celebration was for the anniversary of the school's first year in its new building, a former warehouse. Much of the interior carpentry had been done by parents and teachers, so the celebration was especially meaningful. For the three weeks leading to the Odalan, the forty-five students divided into nine groups and researched information about Bali. Their work included field trips to the travel store and the Chinese supermarket, the preparation of video documentaries, additions to their web site, art work, and the construction of a full sized shadow puppet screen and an original small ensemble of xylophone instruments. |
Please click on the first image for an enlarged slideshow with captions.
Photos © 2000 by Robert E. Brown
