Telling Other Tales by Chan Johnson, Irving;

Short description:

Since it first mesmerised Western audiences, Balinese masked dance–drama (Topeng) has drawn sustained scholarly attention. Yet until now, much of that attention has been filtered through non-Balinese perspectives. Telling Other Tales seeks to redress this imbalance by presenting Topeng as a living, plural tradition.

Long description:

Since it first mesmerized Western audiences in the early 20th century, Balinese masked dance–drama (Topeng) has drawn sustained scholarly attention. Yet until now, much of that attention has been filtered through non-Balinese perspectives. Telling Other Tales seeks to redress this imbalance by presenting Topeng as a living, plural tradition—one whose meaning is co-created by Balinese and non-Balinese performers, scholars and other observers alike. In these essays, academic rigor and personal testimony sit in rich dialogue. Historians, anthropologists and theatre scholars engage alongside Balinese priests, musicians and Topeng practitioners, weaving together formal analysis with evocative reflections. Together, they illuminate how this ancient theatrical form is not only studied, but lived, acted and re-imagined in the everyday.

This volume will appeal to scholars of performance, Asian studies and cultural anthropology—or to anyone curious about how traditional forms both shape and are shaped by the many people who carry them forward.

Table of Contents:

1 Introduction: Circulating Experiences in the Topeng World, Irving Chan Johnson  I. Form, History, Text  2 Speculations on the Origins of Topeng Pajegan, Bruce W Carpenter  3 “Playing with the Past”: Visitation and Illusion in the Mask Theatre of Bali, John Emigh   4 Jelantik Goes to Blambangan: A Topeng Pajegan Performance by I Nyoman Kakul, John Emigh  5 Topeng as Performance, I Wayan Budiarsa  6 Personal Reflections on Topeng and Hinduism, I Gede Adhinata  7 A Theatre of Cruelty: The Contexts of a Topeng Performance, Hildred Geertz  8 Topeng “Tuan Tepis”: A New Form of Theatre, I Wayan Dibia  II. Practices and Materialities  9 Sidha Karya: A Balinese Cultural Icon, I Made Bandem  10 Circulations of Knowledge in Topeng Mask-Making, Kristian Vincent Gunawan  11 The Music of the Topeng Theatre, I Nyoman Kariasa and I Gde Made Indra Sadguna  12 The Variable Careers of Topeng Masks: A View from Bukit Poh Village, Ni Wayan Pasek Ariati and Laurel Kendall  13  “To be Human is to Sing”: A Masked Performance of Sarawati’s Sacred Wisdom, Ron Jenkins  14 Experiencing Adult Topeng Classes in Bali, Kaori Fushiki  III. Genealogies and Biographies  15 I Ketut Rinda as a Topeng Master, Adrian Vickers  16 Cokorda Oka Tublen and the Palace Mask-makers of Singapadu, Cokorda Alit Artawan  17 The Many Lives of I Dewa Putu Kebes: An Ethnographic Biography, Irving Chan Johnson  18 I Nyoman Kakul: An Autobiography of a Topeng Dancer, I Ketut Wirtawan  19 Becoming a King: How I Learnt the Topeng Dalem Arsawijaya Dance, Ida Bagus Gede Surya Peradantha  20 I Wayan Tangguh: Maestro of Traditional Balinese Topeng Carving, I Komang Sudirga   21 Topeng Sidha Karya: An Interview with Ida Bagus Alit, Rucina Ballinger  22 The Story of Dancer and Mask-Maker I Made Regug, I Wayan Suprapta  IV. Global Encounters  23 A French Artistic Journey through Topeng, Joanna Belloni  24 Being a Woman Being a Man: Gender and Balinese Topeng Performance, Margaret Coldiron  25 Talking to Lydia Martin, an American Topeng Dancera Martín, Topeng Dancer, Monali Varaiya  26 “An-other” Learning Experience: A Journey in Topeng Characterization, Carmencita Palermo