Mission
BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM) is a unique chamber sized dance ensemble that fuses Balinese and Contemporary dance styles. This synthesis of esoteric and modern aesthetics offers a vision of Contemporary-World dance that captures the best of two worlds and provides an entertainment experience that appeals to audiences of all backgrounds and ages.
BALAM was founded to enrich contemporary dance through the inclusion of Balinese sacred sensibilities.
BALAM
- Explores Balinese dance in a Western context.
- Creates original works and a new fusion movement style and technique.
- Educates the community about Balinese dance, customs, and culture
- Offer lives performances, lectures, master-classes, workshops, & dance lessons.
BALAM is a New York based dance ensemble founded in 1979 by Islene Pinder, a CUNY professor of dance and choreographer, and later joined in 1990 by choreographer/dance-artist, Carlos Fittante. BALAM's fusion repertoire is derived from the skills of its dancers who embody an eclectic cross-section of New York's diverse dance community and include Ballet, Baroque, Lester Horton, Martha Graham, Noh and Karate movement techniques synthesized with Balinese dance. Known for its "taksu," or mesmerizing performing quality, Balinese dance possesses a special radiance that originates from a deep cultural regard for the relationship between the spirit and corporeal worlds. The Balinese perceive the dancing body as the consummate physical expression for mystical forces, feelings and imagination. BALAM acknowledges and embraces this viewpoint in its working process and performances. This perspective adds a subtle and profound resonance for both the performer and audience.
BALAM shares the Balinese love of beauty and theatrical opulence. Its work presents visions of mythic characters gilded in bold colors and bejeweled headpieces that dance with leaps, turns, flashing eyes and vibrating fingers to the shimmering sounds of gamelan music.
BALAM artfully unites meticulous skills laden in esoteric tradition, with a sense of spatial freedom and boldness to mesmerize and thrill. This aesthetic alchemy represents a convergence of traditional and contemporary styles that creates a dance style fit for the gods.
About Balinese Dance
The Balinese attribute a divine origin to dance. It is said that Indra, the Lord of Heaven, originated dancing when he created the incomparably beautiful dedari (nymphs of heaven) to dance for the pleasure of the gods. Balinese dance is an offering. Known for its electrifying performing quality, the power of Balinese dance emanates from its ancient history of ritual-magic traditions, and the stylized gestures of the esoteric Hindu courts from the Majapahit era (1343-1420). Balinese dance features a polyrhythmic detailed use of hands, fingers, face, and eyes, and emphasizes complex co ordinations. Performed to the energetic sound of gamelan music, Balinese dance presents a theater of fantasy characters where gods and demons, adorned in golden scrolled costumes and striking masks, enact timeless stories to teach and entertain the assembled community.
Brief Company History
BALAM was founded by Islene Pinder in 1979, and later joined by the co-artistic director, Carlos Fittante in 1989. Together Pinder and Fittante have created a diverse repertoire that explores fusion themes with works that include Ramayana-The Abduction of Sita ; a story ballet inspired by the Hindu epic, Night Shadow-A Balinese Dream, Tigerlily & the Dragonfly, Eden, Hanuman the Monkey King, Spirit Window, Vision of Sound, Episode, Primordial Embers, Amantes, NYC-Baris and others. For five consecutive years BALAM has been awarded support from the Department of Cultural Affairs for its educational lecture-performances for the Freshman Year Initiative Program at Lehman College, Bronx, N.Y. BALAM has been featured at a number of festivals and venues including First Night New York, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Museum of Natural History, Aaron Davis Hall, La MaMa ETC, Long Island University; Brooklyn, NY, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Dancers Responding to AIDS , Asian American Arts Festival; Columbus, OH, to mention a few. BALAM has toured internationally including the Bali Arts Festival in July 2000 hosted in Denpasar, Bali where BALAM received international critical acclaim, and more recently at the 2nd Encuentro Internacíonal de Danza Contemporario in May 2004 hosted in Cancun, Mexico. BALAM has been endorsed by the Indonesian Consulate of NY, and the Sangga Semara Ratih in Ubud, Bali.