Panyembrama, The Balinese Way to Welcome

the painting of Panyembrama

Balinese people are well-known for their hospitality,

and welcoming dances are the norm.

Created by I Wayan Berata about thirty seven years ago, the name of the dance comes from the Balinese word for welcome, "panyembrama". Performed by two or more female dancers wearing tapih (layers of cloth), kamben (sarong), and a belt made of a long cloth that covers the body from waist to chest.

These are colorful traditional balinese fabrics adorned with golden motifs called prada. The dancers's hair is decorated with frangipani and golden flowers, making the looks like angels that have floated down from the sky.

The dancer's movement follow the vibrant gamelan. Enter the stage slowly with smile brightening on their vividly made-up faces. Their wide eyes are accentuated with a touch of vivid black eyeliner, then their slow steps emphasize their curvaceous bodies. According to the creator, all the choreography in the panyembrama dance is a combination of more basic Balinese dances such as legong keraton and condong. Althoungh this particular dance does not tell a story, the classic moves and the smiles on the dancers faces lend it a charming nuance.

Roses, frangipanis, and other flowers play an important role in this dance. Each dancer carries a bokor, an engraved bowl made from silver or alumunium which is filled with flowers. There are two unique routines in this dance. In the first, the dancers kneel and bring their hands together as if they are praying. The routine is actually intended to wish for a blessing from God so that the dancers will perform it perfectly and the audience will be charmed.

The second routine is when all the dancers go around in a circle and scatter flowers over the guests as an expression of welcome. This routine is also a sign that the performance is finished. This is how the Balinese welcome their guest. :)

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I, my self, had a chance to enjoy this dance twice. So superb that I love how they are glancing eyes, pounding feet, and.. surely their soft-fingers dance and slender bodies movement. I never bored to enjoy it.

***

Reference      :  Dance of Bali Book, 2012, by Kartika D Suardana
Photo credit   :  sejarahtaribali.blogspot.com

Charles Dicken's 200th birthday is today

yuhuu, hari ini, tujuh pebruari adalah tepat 200 tahun charles dicken lahir.

sebenarnya saya sendiri juga ga ngeh sih, kalo saja ga merhatiin google doodle hari ini. nah, begitu lihat logo tersebut, saya jadi teringat lagi masa-masa kejayaan jaman kuliah saya beberapa tahun lalu, terutama karena saya diingatkan (lagi-lagi) kalau saya ini lulusan sastra indonesia yang kebetulan mengambil spesialisasi sastra (bukan linguistik ataupun filologi). hhehe, cuma sebatas inget doang sih karena pas kuliah aja keseringan bolos... *beuhh

nah, dari sekian puluh mahakaryanya tuan dicken itu tadi (baik novel, cerpen, maupun puisi) yang paling saya ingat adalah the adventures of oliver twist. dan, jujur saya baru tertarik baca bukunya setelah terlebih dulu menikmati ceritanya versi filmnya, hhihi.. karya lain tuan dicken yang ga kalah serunya adalah a chrismast carol, bleak house, dan great expectations. 

untuk judul buku yang saya sebutkan terakhir, saya juga punya versi filmnya (bukan bukunya). tapi yaahh... karena kesibukan saya (sok sibuk sih) akhirnya sampai sekarang dvd itu masih tertimbun rapi di antara tumpukan koleksi dvd-dvd saya lainnya.

eniwei, happy birthday yang ke-200 ya, eyang dicken :)

Dear Papa: buku penuh cinta untuk ayah

Dear Papa... #5

Buku penuh cinta persembahan untuk para ayah dari anak-anaknya.

Berawal dari project #DearPapa yang diselenggarakan nulisbuku dan diprakarsai sama mba Lala (@lalapurwono) & mba Meity (@MeityIskandar) yang bikin timeline saya sukses mabuk kebayang sama rayuan-rayuannya dan at least meracuni saya buat ikut-ikutan nulis. Hm, dan nyatanya saya sangat bergairah termakan racunnya :D (racun yang baik *puk puk)

Nah, di buku ini tulisan-tulisannya kebanyakan (emang dimintanya sih) lebih menyerupai surat cinta, cihuy... *mata langsung kedip-kedip genit. Jadi, bisalah dibayangin gimana wujudnya, hm.. mirip-mirip Chicken Soup for The Soul atau Gift From The Heart gitu deh (ketinggian ga sih ngayalnya?? *cepet bangunin saya). Tapiii.. terlepas dari semua itu, yang bikin buku makin keren adalah karena proyek ini bentuknya charity. Jadi, semua hasil penjualan buku dikumpulin terus disampaikan ke salah satu panti jompo yang ada di surabaya :)

Eh eh eh, tulisan saya sendiri ada di bagian tengah. Kalo ga salah sih, di halaman 58. Baca ya? Baca ya? Belinya bisa lewat nulisbuku, atau kirim via surel ke admin@nulisbuku.com