Balinese Performance and Culture
THEA 220
Spring 2015 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
CEAS 229 |
This course will examine the theater, dance, and puppetry of Bali in the context of its cultural significance in Indonesia and in the West. Students will read the MAHABHARATA and RAMAYANA, which are central texts for Balinese performances held in Hindu temples as part of village festivals. Students will also read books and essays by anthropologists Hildred Geertz, Clifford Geertz, and Margaret Mead to understand how the arts in Bali are integrated into the overall life of the island. Artifacts of physical culture will also be examined, including the palm-leaf manuscripts that are quoted in many performances; the paintings that depict the relationship between humans, nature, and the spirit world that is the subject of many plays; and the masks and puppets that often serve as a medium for contacting the invisible world of the gods and ancestors. Translations of Balinese performance texts will be studied to analyze the sophisticated wordplay that accompanies the spectacle of Balinese performance. The direct and indirect influence of Balinese performance on the West will be discussed by examining the work of theater artists like Robert Wilson, Arianne Mnouchkine, Lee Breur, and Julie Taymour, who have all collaborated with Balinese performers. Students will be evaluated on the basis of class presentations, a midterm exam, a research paper, and a final project. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA THEA |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CEAS-MN)(CEAS) |
Major Readings:
Translated and edited by William Buck, THE MAHABHARATA
Translated and edited by William Buck, THE RAMAYANA
Clifford Geertz, INTERPRETATIONS OF CULTURE
Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, BALINESE CHARACTER
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, THE KING THE WITCH AND THE PRIEST
N. Catra & R. Jenkins, SIWARATRIKALPA: BALINESE LITERATURE IN PERFORMANCE
Mary Zurbuchen, THE LANGUAGE OF BALINESE SHADOW THEATER
Hildred Geertz, THE LIFE OF A BALINESE TEMPLE: ARTISTRY, IMAGINATION AND HISTORY IN A PEASANT VILLAGE
R. Jenkins, RUABINEDA IN BALI: COUNTERFEIT JUSTICE IN THE CASE OF NYOMANGUNARSA
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Examinations and Assignments:
Students will be evaluated on the basis of class presentations, a mid-term exam, a research paper, and a final project. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Mandatory first class attendance. |
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