WORCESTER, Mass. – A group of theatre students and faculty from the College of the Holy Cross are the only U.S. artists performing at the Bali Arts Festival next month. They will perform the musical Mimpi, an original dance drama, created by Lynn Kremer, professor of theatre.
The group, including four Holy Cross students, Kremer and a creative team, will leave June 1 for a month-long trip. When they arrive they will start working with Balinese artists including Desak Made Suarti Laksmi (composer/choreographer) and I Nyoman Catra (choreographer), who will perform in Mimpi. “Our intention is to expand the hybrid nature of the piece by having Balinese faculty and students join the Holy Cross faculty and students in mounting this work.”
The original production of Mimpi was developed in 2003-04 and performed in the 2004-05 as part of the College’s theatre season.
“Mimpi, which means ‘dream’ in Bahasa Indonesian, uses the construct of a dream and two Balinese folktales to convey a non-linear story,” explains Kremer. “This production is a cross-cultural collaboration that incorporates Balinese Gamelan music with western keyboard and cello, as well as hybrid dance styles that borrowed from Balinese and American dance forms.”
The production utilizes Indonesian fairy tales and poetry to tell the story of a lonely man in search of a soul mate and a self-sacrificing wife. Mimpi weaves in the universal tales of love, devotion, sacrifice, and greed.
The group will perform the play three times and in addition to auditioning and rehearsing, they will be attending other performances and exhibitions associated with the festival, visiting sacred sites and completely immersing themselves in the culture. “I never thought I would be asked to participate in the most famous arts festival in Indonesia,” says Savanah Shaughnessy ’09. “It is a once in a lifetime experience I could not refuse. Not only will this trip be an artistic journey, it will be completely life changing.”
Holy Cross faculty will also deliver lectures about the creative process to the students and faculty of the Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI), the institution that supplies the College master teachers of Balinese music and dance.
“While a Balinese audience is certain to recognize some elements of Balinese Sendratari (colossal dance dramas), Mimpi will be unlike anything they have seen,” exclaims Kremer. “The opportunity to take our team of faculty, staff and students is guaranteed to prove a creative and culturally enriching opportunity for everyone involved.”
Members of the Holy Cross community traveling to Bali include: Kremer; Shaughnessy; Paul Gardner ’09; Kate Hultgren ’09; Mayte Martinez ’10; Thomas Layman ’06; Jennifer Hannigan ’07; John Keller ’03; Barbara Craig, assistant professor of theater; Kurt Hultgren, lecturer and costume designer for the theatre department; and local musician Ning Tien.
The Bali Arts Festival is a month-long celebration of daily performances, exhibitions and other related cultural and commercial activities during which all of Bali comes to the city to present its offerings of dance, music and beauty.
Related Information:
- NECN/Worcester News Tonight (May 12, 2009) Holy Cross dancers to perform in Bali
- Bali Arts Festival
