Gianyar, Regency

I Nyoman Kakul Group
Celebrate Christmas Day and New Year 2003

I Nyoman Kakul Dance Group is preparing to welcome Christmas Day 2000 and New Year 2003. Based in Banjar Pekandelan, Desa Batuan, Sukawati, the group receives bookings from hotels in Kuta, Sanur, and Nusa Dua.

The group prepares various dances for the purpose such as drama, mask and barong dances. Apart from these, they perform Gambuh drama dances famous as the source of other traditional Balinese dances, at their home village with an aim to invite visitors to see their village.
“Before Christmas Day and New Year, we have sometimes danced in two hotels during one evening. Nevertheless, up until now no hotels have booked us to dance, probably because of the Kuta bomb blast,” the Dance Group’s mentor, I Ketut Wirtawan told Bali Travel News recently.
The group, chaired by I Wayan Artawa, has not only practiced to meet hotels’ requests or other ceremonial events, but has persisted to develop and train dancers. Regular dance training takes place on Saturdays and Sundays. Many of trainees developed by this dance group have become perfect dancers who then later succeeded in establishing their own groups, and being dance trainers.
Apart from the village’s trainees, youngsters come from other locations, even villages outside Gianyar Regency. “Many foreigners from the US, Europe, and Japan, have spent the opportunity to learn dancing with the Kakul Group during August and December to make acquaintance with Gambuh Mother Dance and Mask Dance for a period,” the advisor of the dance group, Mr. L Ketut Kantor said.
Since its establishment in 1980, this dance group, managed by descendants of the famous dancer, I Nyoman Kakul, has appeared in various important events such as Denpasar’s Bali Art Festival, a variety of ceremonial occasions, and has even made a tour to Basel, Switzerland, to appear in a World Musical Festival. “While the group has scarcely performed abroad, its personalities, being members of the group management have often individually made trips to overseas,” said I Ketut Wirtawan who is known also as a painter. (sana)