Dance Theatre

PROGRAM (90-minutes, subject to change.)

 

House Music: Balinese Gender (bamboo gamelan)

 

1) Oleg Tambulilingan (Love Dance of the Bumblebees), a traditional Balinese dance duet

Choreography: I. Ketut Marya (Mario). Today, in Bali, several choreographic versions of this popular duet are seen, depending on the lineage of dancer-to-dancer transmission. BALAM's rendition was directed by Nani Devi, with both performers generating movement content for their roles.

Dancers: Nani Devi, Carlos Fittante

Music: Traditional in the Gong Kebyar style. 

Costumes: Variations of the traditional

In Indonesian, 'Kebyar' means 'bursting into flames.' In Bali, at the start of the 20th century, this innovative style of Balinese gamelan music became enormously popular. Noted for its use of all bronze-keyed instruments (instead of the softer sounding bamboo ones), complex rhythms, and sudden changes in tempo and dynamics, the Gong Kebyar style is featured in both of this showing's Balinese works.

Created in Bali in the early 1950s by the internationally acclaimed Balinese star dancer Mario, the Oleg Tambulilingan, today a favorite dance throughout the island, revolutionized the female Balinese dancing body by liberating her from its more formal representation, and spot lighting the physicality of the female Balinese dance movement. 

 

2) La Zarzamora (Blackberry Bush) a Spanish song

Composers and Lyricists: Antonio Quintero, Rafael de León, and Manuel Quiroga

Performer: Inma Heredia

Released in 1963 by the iconic Spanish singer Lola Flores, this song rooted in the flamenco tradition, speaks of unattainable love symbolized by the thorns of the blackberry bush.

 

3) El Barreño, a folk dance from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

Choreography: Traditional with Baroque dance patterns by Carlos Fittante

Dancers: Robin Gilbert, Yumiko Niimi

Traditional music and costumes

Headpieces: Carlos Fittante

The word "barreño" has several meanings: a container with sloping sides for carrying water, where streams feed into a river, lake, or ocean, and an area of water where ships are docked. Each of these meanings connects to water, which in the 18th century was a vital means of transportation and cultural exchange.

 

Pause 1

 

4) Fandango

Choreography: This solo combines Baroque, Spanish Escuela Bolera movement, and castanets.

Music: Maestro Matias, circa 1786, Lima, Peru

Performers: Ryan Closs, Carlos Fittante

 

5) Huicho, an 18th-century Peruvian bird dance

Choreography: Carlos Fittante

Music: The Codex Martínez Compañón, also known as the Bishop Martinez Compañón Codex II or the Trujillo Codex II, circa 1785, from Trujillo, Peru was authored by Bishop Baltasar Jaime Martínez Compañón. The musical arrangement for this dance was created by Tom Zajac, whose innovative work was supported by GEMAS, a collaboration between Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS) and Americas Society (AS).

Performers: Ryan Closs (Baroque guitar), Eugenia Forteza (mezzo-soprano), Steven Jeltsch (dancer)

Headpiece: Cassandra Saulter

Costume: Carlos Fittante

The Codex Martínez Compañón contains numerous watercolors and musical scores documenting 18^th century life in Trujillo, Peru. Considered an important part of both Spanish and Peruvian heritage, it was formerly housed in the Archivo General de Indias (General Archive of the Indies) in Seville, Spain, but now is on indefinite loan to Peru. BALAM’s Huicho dance is inspired by the music and imagery of the manuscript and combines Baroque and Spanish Escuela Bolera dance styles.

 

6) Marionas, a Spanish Baroque guitar solo

Performer: Ryan Closs

Music: Santiago de Murcia (1673-1739)

A quintessential 17th-century Spanish guitar composition, also considered to be a harmonic poem.

 

Pause 2.

 

7) Caballo de Rejoneo (Bullfighting Horse) *premiere, a Spanish song

Performer: Inma Heredia

Choreography, Dancers, and Costumes: Barbara Romero, Carlos Fittante

Using a Spanish Pop song composed with the same meter as the sevillanas dance, this piece is an evocation of the traditional Sevillanas Rocieras. Typically, a courtship dance, sevillanas expresses aspects of attraction and love. However, the song’s poetic lyrics transform love into mortal combat by telling a story of a horse and bull, who, when free in the countryside play as friends, but fight as adversaries when in the bullfighting arena. This scenario reveals a Spanish life view about destiny and honor.

 

8) Harp Etude, Butterfly Etude, and Scarf Mazurka

Music: Frederick Chopin

Recorded readings of three quotes from "The Art of the Dance" by Isadora Duncan.

Ambient sounds from Pixabay.com.

Dances: Isadora Duncan

Performer: Marie Carstens (Guest Artist)

 

Pause 3

 

The next work contains Balinese vocalizations and stylized scenes of violence that may not be suitable for young children and the elderly.

 

9) Ramayana: Abduction of Sita

BALAM's signature Balinese fusion dance story ballet is inspired by the Hindu epic.

Choreography: Islene Pinder and Carlos Fittante, Fight: Toshinori Hamada and Carlos Fittante

Music: Islene Pinder and Carlos Fittante, performed by the Semara Ratih Gamelan of Ubud, Bali, and Gamelan Son of Lion, New York

Costumes: Variations of the traditional Balinese costumes designed by Islene Pinder

Dancers: Toshinori Hamada, Yumiko Niimi, Robin Gilbert, Carlos Fittante

The Balinese Ramayana uses music, dance, gesture, song, and theatre to enact the beloved characters of the Ramayana story. In Bali, this dance-drama reinforces social values and offers an opportunity for viewers to reflect on the tension between moral and amoral actions. Using the Balinese rendition as a model, BALAM’s Ramayana: Abduction of Sita is unique in its performative challenges. Dancers must be adept in a fusion of Balinese, ballet, modern, and martial arts movements while realizing the choreography’s character-driven, complex gestural nature.

 

ABOUT BALAM

In 1979, choreographer, CUNY Associate Professor, and movement researcher Islene Pinder founded BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM) to bring the detailed skills of Balinese dance to New York. Over its 45-year history, and under the directorship of Carlos Fittante, the company has expanded its repertoire to include ballet, modern, Baroque, Spanish, Japanese, Latin dance styles, and martial arts. It has established itself as a leading contemporary cultural institution, performing in prestigious venues and festivals throughout the United States and internationally, including the Bali Arts Festival.

 

BALAM creates contemporary cultural dances rooted in a blend of Balinese and other traditional dance forms and time periods. This cross-cultural alchemy appeals to diverse audiences, earning the company acclaim for its entertaining performances that are innovative, inclusive, and thought-provoking.

 

UPCOMING COLLABORATIONS

Mosaic Dance Theatre – Impression of “The Alhambra”, September 2024

La Fiocco – Live Baroque Music Dance, October 2024

Michio Productions – Wind Chime, inspired by true heroic stories from the 2011 Tohoku, Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, Toshinori Hamada has written a poignant drama with music and song. BALAM is the fiscal conduit for this production; Lee Douglass is the production’s Producer. A recipient of the Creative Engagement Grant awarded by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; this work will be presented in December 2024.

GEMS Midtown Concerts – Old and New World Spain in Music, Dance, Song, and Spanish Destreza Fencing, June 2025

 

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SUPPORT BALAM

Today’s entertaining free showing, and all our activities, rely on public support. Please donate now in any amount! Your funding is needed to continue developing our eclectic work that serves diverse communities at the grassroots level. BALAM is a not-for-profit organization with 501c(3) status. Donations are tax-deductible. Making a financial gift is easy. Go to our blog. Under the banner, on the right side, click the Donate Button, or make a check payable to BALAM Dance Theatre and mail it to,

 

BALAM Dance Theatre

319 West 18^th St, 4C

New York, NY 10011.

 

Thank you!

 

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Walid Guzman (Stage Manager), ASM REC World (Crew), Yloy Ybarra (Volunteer/House Manager) and Artistic Director of Danza España.

Public Relations: Luhrs & Associates, Joyce Luhrs-President

Video: Moti Margolin

Audio Mastering: Van Ness Creative Group

 

SPECIAL THANKS

This showing is offered in the loving memory of Caesar R. Fittante (November 17, 1933 – January 3, 2024), whose significant generosity, along with the support of Friends of BALAM, made today’s event possible.