March 19, 2007 (Vol. 5, No. 4)

'Building Bridges With Friends' March 20

BALAM Dance Theatre will present a free lecture and performance entitled "Building Bridges With Friends" on Tuesday, March 20, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Lovinger Theatre. The program will include an opportunity for students to step on stage for a free Balinese dance lesson.

This program will include special guest artists Anom Putra and his daughter, Ratih Rismaputri, from the famous Semara Ratih Gamelan from Ubud, Bali, as well as Nani Devi of Nani Devi's Indonesian Dancers of New York. Anom, who is recognized as one of Bali's most celebrated dancers, is famous for his performance of the "Baris" or "warrior dance." Nani Devi performs and teaches at the Indonesian Consulate of New York.

The theme for the audience participation segment of the program focuses on reciprocity. After their dance lesson, students will return to the stage to instruct their professors in the dance they previously learned. By switching roles, both students and teachers gain insight into each other's experience and responsibilities, which fosters mutual understanding and support.

Balinese dance involves detailed, expressive eye, hand, and arm movements. Dancers dressed in vividly colored costumes and golden-scrolled headpieces move with stylized, sharp, percussive movements, as well as slow, fluid ones, to portray mythic characters dancing to the shimmering sound of gamelan music. BALAM's fusion of Balinese and contemporary dance styles features movements of expressive detail and athletic boldness in which performers leap, turn, and partner to create a cutting-edge vision of world dance.

Islene Pinder, a member of the Lehman dance faculty who retired in 1998, is the company's founding director. Renowned Spanish choreographer Carlos Fittante is the company's artistic director and also dances in the company. More information about BALAM can be found at www.balamdance.org.

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