while sitting on the porch in the evening, i heard gamelon music coming from the forest. the happy tune was a new one i had never heard before, and was unlike anything i knew. i wasn't sure whether it was from someones i phone, or television, or if it was for real. as it continued and continued i decided to ask the grama that lives on the compound what's going on. i managed to understand 3 words from her answer; person, eat, sate', hmmm....okay...the music is coming from the restaurant on the main road that sells sate', and someone arranged it....(i guess...). it was raining, the restaurant was small, maybe someone was catering a meal and entertainment there (my western mind...balinese never do things like that) but after it continued blaring out from the microphone for over an hour, changing to storytelling that i assumed was for a shadow puppet play, i decided that this is an opportunity not to be missed. with flashlight and umbrella in hand i walked through the muddy puddles of the winding forest path and in a few minutes was at the main road and walked over to the neighbor who had set up a small low stage and had male musicians and story tellers seated on the floor in a big circle.
in usual balinese hospitality, a woman that was sitting and watching, quickly motioned for me to join her, instead of me standing alone on the side. i did. and what proceeded was such a treat! the 20 men that were sitting there playing drums, gamelons, flute, and cymbals all knew the known melodies, and took turns playing different instruments, of story telling in ancient language while someone else follows his tale and interprets it into modern balinese each time. one man, who has died his greying hair the color of henna, is apparently the host, and owner of the restaurant next door where his wife works non -stop. he was busy making sure there was beer and grilled meat on skewers and cigarettes for the men sitting in the big circle on stage. i was impressed seeing how being a generous host was a full time job for him, and he didn't miss a beat.
it is always so surprising and humbling when i see these men break into song or dance. each of them is such an artist, and when i have seen them on the street until now, i had no idea. it seems as though all balinese men know how to either play an instrument, story tell, or dance! and even when he would suddenly leave the stage to grab someone that was onlooking to come join them, another talented man would appear. and the audience was about 10 little kids and me and the other woman and a grama!
all the men of all ages,were smoking non stop. they all had the ability to "play" together, whether on instruments, dancing, or chanting. there were no stars, no performers, it was all just one big fraternity of men from the village. slowly the women and younger kids started joining the growing audience that was standing and watching. part of the fun was that one of the men with a glass of beer in his hand, had to stand up and improvise a dance in the middle of the circle, to the roars and pleasure of the crowd, then hand the beer glass to another innocent man sitting on stage, or in the audience, which meant that now the new man had to perform! first he drinks the glass of beer in one go, and it is refilled and he has to dance with it, and then hand it to the next "victim"!
the energy was rising slowly as two young women suddenly showed up in jeans and t-shirts and the host motioned to them to sit down on stage with the men. for the next hour the two of them were busy applying makeup to their faces, while the men continued with their music and song and dance. it was amazing watching how each of them put layers and layers of makeup on until they had turned into the stereotypical balinese woman dancer; white skin, blue eye shadow, red lips, rosy cheeks, all very exotic looking. next, after realizing there was nowhere to change into their costumes, they proceeded to wrap themselves in the bolts of glittery, vibrant colored material right there on stage. this is how the dancers get dressed. there are no zippers or buttons or sizes...you just wrap and wrap your body up and then put a safety pin on the end of the material. i was thrilled to be able to have a first hand look at how it is all done, while the men were non-pulsed by it. they were too busy making frog sounds while the host had donned a mask of a frog and had changed into army khaki clothes and was jumping around the stage making sharp movements with his head that really made you think he was a frog. and the beer was flowing...
next the small orchestra changed instruments and the woman (around 22) that was now wearing a headdress with feathers and was looking very exotic and sumptuous, began to do erotic dancing to the glee of the men. with a sash in her hands she was out to lasso a man that would have to dance opposite her on the stage. the point is to entice the man, but not to "give him the goods". i guess that is the typical burlesque or go-go dancing in the western world, just here she is totally covered in a skin tight costume from head to toe with only bare arms. THAT is called sexy.
for the next hour different men were invited or even forced to have a go with her for a few minutes as the crowds roared. what amazed me was that it had turned into what i imagine a stag party must be like, but all of us women were sitting there watching it all. as the female dancer swooned them all with her undulating pelvis, the men each enacted different positions of sexual intercourse with her, again, with everyone fully clothed. i was in shock.
not only because of all the children who were there watching, but because of the unabashed courage (or maybe uncontrollable arousal) of the men to stand there on stage in front of everyone and 'let it all hang out"! there were some men, who when she came round with her lasso sash to invite them, refused...shy, and uncomfortable and unwilling to take part. it was interesting to watch this all, compared to our western approach to eroticism, sex, feminism, masculinity, and intimacy. here everyone was fully clothed, standing up, and being humorous, and creative in their "sexual performance".
when the first woman had finished her tango with the men, she bowed and in a very business like way began to undress, just as she had dressed, on stage, and removed all of her makeup while the second woman repeated the couples' dance. it was so strange to suddenly see this woman that had been so erotic, turn back into a young woman that had just finished "work" and was changing back to her jeans and t-shirt. it was "just a job"...
when the second woman began, i was the first culprit. they love seeing foreigners on stage, and also wanted to give me the honor since i am their guest, even though i had never spoken to any of them before. even though this was meant to be between a man and woman, i knew i had to just get up there on stage and dance around with her a bit, to satisfy the crowds, which i managed to do, without my sarong falling off, like the other time.
what had started off as an exciting and interesting and touching evening of watching all of these very simple but talented men of all ages and walks of life enjoying playing music, story telling and dancing together was now turning into a bit of a vulgar show. one man, when pulled by the sash to dance with the second woman, actually grabbed her forcefully and began kissing her against her will. as she pushed him away, she wiped her tears and redid her make up. and we all sat there and watched...entertainment. the saddest part for me was that her own husband was drumming the music next to her while this went on. i wondered how both of their young husbands felt about their wives making money by doing this popular form of dance that the balinese men and women so much enjoy watching and participating in. and the host, now quite drunk, kept trying to get a blonde tourist that had shown up, to do the erotic dancing with him on the stage. but she refused. the redeeming grace at the end was when the dancer lassoed her drummer husband, and the two of them did a very sweet, tame, naive dance together, without all of the overt sexuality that had been the case with most of the other men.
i wondered how balinese women feel about all of this? we were all watching it...we encourage it...it is obvious that the men were all getting out their sexual fantasies and for the women...it is work. i wondered if this is how the children receive their sex education? is this just normal and upfront, instead of something we westerners do behind closed doors or in pornographic movies and magazines? and what pressure this must put on the men, who "if you are a man" get up there and "perform"! it left me with many questions. i ask them many questions about love, intimacy, falling in love, marriage, since it is still unclear to me what happens here...where my friends grandfather had 3 wives; the first, then the second, who was the younger sister of the first, and then the third who was the servant when she was younger, but then married him when she became (pregnant?) of eligible age! and they all lived happily ever after.
so, i spoke with my friend and asked him what this eroticism meant. he told me that the man who was the host is a big gambler, and this was a private party that he had made in honor of his first grandson that was born. bringing the women to dance the joged dance in this erotic way, comes from java, and is much more gross than the subtle and minimalistic aesthetic way that the balinese naturally perform joged in public. he said that had he been invited to this party, he would have to decline the invitation, since this is not a way he believes intimacy and dancing should be shown. he spoke about the original balinese joged dancing as an art form that is in transition now as influences from the west and areas outside of bali enter society and culture. it was a pleasure listening to him share his feelings about intimate relationships. and just reinforced my gut feelings that i am friends with a very special couple and i am glad it is them that are guiding me through balinese culture and religion.
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