Denpasar, In the City

Arini: A Professional Dancer with Social Duties

In Bali, women have very important role in society. They work anytime and they do not distinguish between duties, they conduct themselves responsibly and seriously. From sunrise to when the rest of the family are fast asleep, women are busy at fulfilling their family’s needs. In addition, they also conduct other activities, like office work or as creative career women.

Ni Ketut Arini, a housewife who lives in Banjar Lebah, Sumerta Kaja Village, East Denpasar is an artist of dancing who never leaves her tradition of menyama braya (involvement) in customary activities). Although she is busy with art affairs, whether dancing or teaching to dance and playing the gamelan, she never neglects the masuka-duka tradition providing mutual assistance among village members. That’s why every day she is seldom at home. If she is not helping others, she is teaching dancing or playing the gamelan.
She admits that she is proud to be a dancer, and as a dancer she can pay homage whilst doing ngayah (expression of one’s devotion to the gods) through dance. Ketut Arini has visited nearly all countries in the world to show off her expertise in performing the gentle movements of Balinese dancing, since 1965, when she first performed legong dance in the Philippines. She is also often chosen to be a member of the jury in the festival of gong kebyar, and an observer of the national ethnical dance festival, and was also involved in discovering the revitalization of the classical legong dance in 1974.
Based on her dancing experience, she is also an expert in creating dances. There are many dances she has created herself. Some of them were the production of Legong Supraba Duta that was first performed at the Festival Gong Kebyar in 1990, Mina Pradipta dance that was accompanied by Bumbang gamelan created by the late I Nyoman Rembang, the Jalak Putih dance, Darma Putri dance that is especially danced by women of PKK (woman association handling family welfare) members.
Arini often led the dance performance group, both for ngayah at temples and for the entertainment of tourists. Before the Kuta tragedy, she held regular performances at hotels. Every August and on New Year, she made nightly performances. “Yes, I used to, but today, almost never. But performances for ngayah at the temple still goes on. Even her children have a ritual ceremony, I certainly ask for them to do ngayah,” she said.
Furthermore, she added that if the Warini Studio she’s led since 1970, make a performance, it doesn’t need any special preparation. According to her, preparation for a show is enough by doing a rehearsal with gamelan players only. This is because of regular exercise three times a week. For a show, the mother of four children said that it’s just necessary to choose a dancer and give it composition. “But, it does not mean we make no preparation. Dancers are accustomed to make a performance, we just need to choose and arrange its composition,” she said , with pride.
Ketut Arini was born in Denpasar on 15 March 1943, and is never relaxed in her daily life. Almost every day she is busy to teach dancing at the Warini Studio that she leads. Although she has assistants (teacher’s of dancing), she herself often trains and conducts such traditional art. “It does not necessarily mean that I don’t trust other teachers, I involve myself in teaching as I really enjoy it, and my heart is moved as soon as I see my students. “Yeah, she explained, except when I have another activity like making a visit abroad.”
Her dance course is not only intended for students of her studio, but also for foreign students many from Japan, the United States of America, Thailand and Taiwan. “They usually come to my house to join the course. I also teach to dancing abroad, but I just give workshops,” she said whilst smiling.
To become a student, you can enroll via phone or come directly to her studio, many hundreds of her students, are mostly interested in learning classical dancing like legong kraton and other creation dances. If she teaches foreign students, the former teacher of SMKI Bali admitted that the students themselves frequently determine their own schedule so Ni Ketut Arini will teach all afternoon and sometimes into the night. These activities fulfill my life, “I get accustomed to train continuously those who would like to learn to dance. To avoid stress, I prefer to teach dancing,” she admitted.
Arini is also a gamelan trainer, gathering women of PKK members to teach. Exercise is conducted at her house every night, at Jalan Kecubung Gang Soka No.1 Denpasar. “I just teach the basic elements. If I give a song, it’s certainly an easy one. I’ll look for a professional trainer of the gamelan,” said the dancer who danced and was responsible for the program of Lestari on TVRI Denpasar in 1979-1989.
Moreover, Arini is also deeply involved in the rental of dance costumes. At her home, there are various kinds of dance costumes, both traditional and modern ones. She has costumes for rental for other traditional dances like Javanese, Sumatran and Celebes dances Though she does not produce the dance costume, Arini sells them to tourists. (BTN/sana)