Denpasar (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) in Denpasar has received a request from a Balinese drum and dance instructor from the Indonesian embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.

"The instructor who will be appointed an embassy staff member is expected to an ISI graduate in Denpasar with the ability to teach the drum and Bali dances to the people of that country," ISI Rector of Denpasar, Prof Dr I Wayan Rai. S. MA said in Denpasar on Friday.

He said the letter from the Indonesian embassy which was just received said that it will soon be familiarized to the graduates of ISI, the only one in Bali, in the hope the golden opportunity would be used to the maximum.

It is one of the realization of the cooperation which the Denpasar ISI has pioneered with Indonesian embassies in other countries.

Previously, I Made Agus Wardana, graduate of the ISI in Denpasar, had been performing the tasks of a staff of social and cultural in the Indonesian embassy in Brussels and at the same time teaching drums and Balinese dances to the people in that country.

He has been doing this tasks for almost more than ten years since the Bali provincial administration contributed a set of gamelan orchestra to the Indonesian embassy in 1995.

Agus Wardana who has often sent an e-mail to ISI Rector) Prof Dr I Wayan Rai said he left abroad on the recommendation of the ISI rector on a request of the Indonesian ambassador to Belgium for a gamelan and dancing teacher.

In his ten years serving the Indonesian embassy he managed to form a group of mutual training whose members are Indonesians living in that country and Belgians with an interest in studying the drums and Balinese dances.

They are also interested in forming the gamelan group in Belgium including the gamelan group Conservatory , the gamelan group at the embassy, the Arjuna gamelan group, grup Dharma Wanita gamelan group, and Children`s gamelan and "DUO made" group in Brussels.

Agus Wardana who recently visited the ISI in Denpasar when going to his home village said the growth of the Balinese art groups made Belgium a Balinese art center in Europe.

Many of the Balinese art groups which had been developing in Belgium, have their positive impact on the development of Indonesian culture in Belgium as well as promoting Indonesia`s image to the international world.

The Balinese art groups in Belgium have also been collaborating with local artists and created mew works of better quality.

"Combining the music of gamelan and modern percussion music and playing the "chellos" and Balinese flutes produced a mixture of new taste which drew the interest of the international world in learning the Balinese gamelan," Agus Wardana said.

Balinese art ambassadors at a number of Indonesian embassies were mostly Denpasar ISI graduates as well as students and lecturers of the higher education institutions with the task of teaching certain periods of time.

Besides Agus Wardana, I Nyoman Kariasa, S.Sn, Denpasar ISI lecturer, had also served the Indonesian embassy in Paris in teaching Balinese drums and dances to the people in that country.
(ANT)

Editor: AA Ariwibowo
Copyright © ANTARA 2012