Book Review : Dance and Drama in Bali
TITLE: Dance and Drama in Bali
AUTHORS: Walter Spies & Beryl De Zoete
PAGES: 343
PUBLISHER: Periplus Editions
ISBN 962 593 880X
Go into any bookshop and ask if they have any books on Balinese Drama or Dance and you will be shown about a half dozen. Look in any guidebook and you will find a section dedicated to the Dance and Drama of Bali. But, if you want the ultimate, detailed compilation of dance and drama in Bali then Spies & De Zoete’s book (first published in 1938 and more recently in 2002) is the one you need.
My first quick browse through this tome enticed the cultural senses and I found myself being engrossed in a spiritual world of performance witnessed and painstakingly recorded in intricate detail by the authors. De Zoete and Spies are emotionally powerful in their descriptions of both the dance and drama, and, the accompanying photographs are visually sufficiently effective for the reader to draw an understanding aesthetically.
A lot is known of Walter Spies and his association with Bali particularly in the arts and filmmaking. However, very little is known of Beryl de Zoete. She first came to Bali in 1934 on a study tour of countries retaining backgrounds of Hindu culture. It wasn’t until 1935 upon her return did the actual work start on this magnificent tome.
If you are a student of dance or drama or both, then this is the ultimate guide to the performing arts in Bali. The same can be said for those generally interested and wishing to understand more about the dances or drama they view upon their visits to the island. I know that if someone asked me what book I would recommend to read with regards to Balinese drama and dance, then I could not recommend a book more highly than this one.
By Sean | Permalink
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