Week 3

The Gamelan performed in California and Bali had very different settings. The California performance was set in a theater, and the Balinese Gamelan was set outside by the beach. The California production had dancers and more exaggerated costumes and props that served to attract the audience and present Indonesian culture as more exotic that it is. The performers in Bali were dressed in mostly white and plain. There were no dancers and the music served to as a celebration of the culture by bringing musicians together in collaboration to celebrate their traditions. The performance in California served to entertain the audience and spread the culture of Indonesia to those who had previously no experience with that country.
The audience in California were outsiders looking in. The stage served as a barrier between performer and audience. Those sitting in the seats were excluded from the performance and could only watch from a far as the dancers and instrumentalists dressed in exaggerated costumes bedazzled them. The audience in Bali, however, were more immense in the performance. There was no stage in which the performers were separated from the audience. Those experiencing the culture and those performing were side by side and intermingled. There was no excessively exotic costumes or dancers to elevate the culture and promote difference between performers and audience.