08-15-13 Gamelan, Vocal Lessons and Making Offerings

Day 12 8.15 My accomplishment of yesterday was finishing my first gamelan gender piece. After making my first step into Balinese dancing and music, today is time for vocal lessons. Kadek taught me an easy folk song with only six lines, named Ginada. As a Balinese performing artist, one has to sing and dance along the gamelan music at the same time. Kadek has been a great teacher of Balinese culture to me during my stay; she’s about the same age as me, by talking with her I could get a sense of the perspective from the younger generation in Bali as well. On the same day, she also taught me how to make offerings called canang. There are many kinds of offerings required for daily prayer; ususally Balinese use banana leaves and rice straws as base materials, flowers and grass as decoration. In the old days, making offerings is the sole entertainment for Balinese women at night. an old Balinese woman in the market.  street view head decoration offerings I made Gender random shot of a roof random shot of a roof (2)