"Honoring Our Heroes" Balinese Gala Benefit for Fourmile Fire Fighters is Dec. 3

A Spectacular Evening of Balinese Music and Dance

Benefits Boulder's Fourmile Fire Fighters

Friday, December 3, 7pm
First United Methodist Church
1421 Spruce St., Boulder

The allure of the Indonesian island of Bali comes to Boulder!

Shimmering metallophones...stirring gongs and drums...exquisite costumes, sets, and dances..."Honoring Our Heroes" Balinese Gala is a wonderful way to start the festive season.

This spectacular evening of Balinese music, dance and cuisine honors Boulder's Fourmile Fire Fighters, and features a rare appearance by the mythical Barong lion for a processional/ purification ceremony and the popular Barong dance.

Proceeds will go to help rebuild the four mountain fire departments devastated by the Fourmile Fire (Fourmile, Sunshine Canyon, SugarLoaf and Gold Hill). Volunteer firefighters also provide the first medical response to emergencies in the mountains. Your support of these heroes is greatly appreciated and needed!



Gala ticket includes:

* Concert with preferred seating * Reception with Indonesian cuisine * Live music by Boulder's Musha Marimba ensemble * Meet the Artists and Firefighters. Gala tickets are $40/Adult; $30/Students & Seniors; $20/Children 12 and under and must be purchased by Tuesday, November 30.

Concert Only tickets are also available in advance and at the door, and are $15/Adult, $10/Student, Senior and Children 12 & under.

Purchase tickets online at Gamelan Tunas Mekar's website, or call 303-433-3782 to make reservations by phone.


A FESTIVE FAMILY EVENT

The concert features new and traditional dance pieces with guest Balinese dancers Ni Ketut Marni, Luh Made Didik Dwi Wahyuni, and I Putu Tangkas Adi Mayena and Boulder dancers Linx Selby and Jeanna Del Vecchio.

A special highlight will be the Lion Barong appearing in a traditional Bala Ganjur processional which is believed to clear negativity and assist in purification and rebirth.

The four mountain fire chiefs and the firefighters who lost homes have been invited to lead the processional as the Barong dances down the aisle to the stirring sound of gongs. Residents whose homes were destroyed and other firefighters will be invited up front to form the "villages" to which the Barong will bring blessings.

Dance and instrumental pieces will be performed on the gamelan angklung instruments, imported from Bali in 1976.

A Gala Reception will follow, featuring the festive music of Boulder's Musha Marimba, along with traditional Indonesian cuisine including Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Vegetarian Lumpia (Indonesian egg roll), Perkedel (corn fritters), Kue Singkong (gluten-free Kasava cake) with Shredded Coconut, Pisang Gorang (fried, batter-dipped bananas) and more. The artists and guest firefighters will also be available to meet with Gala attendees.

With prices starting at $10, "Honoring Our Heroes" Balinese Gala is a wonderful family event.


NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS

"When our daughter Linx decided to return to Boulder this fall for her senior year, she started dancing with a world-renowned Balinese music ensemble," says Linda Jade Fong. "Her first performance was at an international benefit just after we returned to our still-standing house after being evacuated for over a week during the Fourmile fire. So it gave me the idea of asking the group, named Tunas Mekar, if they'd come to Boulder, bring their spectacular color, music and dance, and do a Fourmile Fire benefit.

They enthusiastically agreed to help us and even bring the magnificent Barong lion (pictured top right) in a rare appearance. Not only is Linx a Fourmile Canyon resident, but several other members of Tunas Mekar are from Boulder, so they will be performing for neighbors and friends who lost their homes."

TICKET PRICES

Gala Ticket - includes preferred seating and Gala Reception: $40/Adult, $30/Seniors & Students, $20/Children 12 and under

Concert-only Ticket: $15/Adult, $10/Student, Senior & Children 12 and under

Purchase tickets online at the Gamelan Tunas Mekar website or make reservations by phone using the Tunas Mekar ticket hotline: 303-433-3782.

ABOUT GAMELAN TUNAS MEKAR

Tunas Mekar performs the indigenous music of the island of Bali, Indonesia. Modeled after typical village groups found throughout Bali, and learning by traditional methods under the direction of Artist-in-Residence I Made Lasmawan, Tunas Mekar provides audiences with a glimpse of one of the world's most fascinating cultures.

Gamelan Tunas Mekar is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is sponsored in part by the University of Denver Lamont School of Music.

Aloha With an Altitude - Colorado Aloha Festival runs September 17-19

Colorado Aloha Festival
September 17-19, 2010



Get a taste of Hawaii without setting foot on a plane. The Colorado Aloha Festival kicks off on Friday, September 17, summoning the island spirit with a hula concert featuring modern and ancient traditional dances and chants at Macky Auditorium on the CU campus. Performers include Grammy Award winner Daniel Ho, hula master Loea Hewitt, and adult and child dancers from the Mauna Pohaku Hula School. The event begins at 7pm.

The following day, the hula continues at halftime during the football game between the CU Buffaloes and the University of Hawaii Warriors.

On both Saturday and Sunday, head for Twenty Ninth Street to learn all about Pacific Island culture with free workshops and even more music and performances. Make sure to stroll through the sea of Hawaiian vendors while dining on delicious island food—from refreshing tropical smoothies to the much-revered Spam sushi.

For details and ticket information, visit the Colorado Aloha Festival website.

Ho'ike Hula Concert
Friday, September 17, 2010, 7:00 PM
Macky Auditorium, Boulder CO
Ticket prices range from $15 - $65

— Rebecca Schneider

Photo of Hoike Show by Glenn Asakawa

Live Music and Dance of Bali, Indonesia

An Evening in Bali
at DecorAsian, Denver

Saturday, February 27
Concert at 7:30pm, Pre-concert at 6:45pm
DecorAsian, 1787 South Broadway, Denver, CO

Immerse yourself in the rich culture of Bali, Indonesia when Gamelan Tunas Mekar, under the direction of I Made Lasmawan, brings to DecorAsian's magical atmosphere authentic music and dance from the island of Bali. Enjoy the unique, tropical sounds of shimmering compositions and dynamic flurries of percussion performed on the exotic bronze instruments of the Balinese gamelan.

Balinese dancers Ni Ketut Marni and Luh Made Didik Dwi Wahyuni will perform the dances Taman Sari (Flower in the Garden), a contemporary welcome dance; and Margapati (Hungry Tiger), the popular dance-drama depicting the life of the ruler of the forest. Full costumes and world-class dancing give American audiences a true glimpse of this beautifully refined art form.

FINE THINGS ASIAN

Arrive early to enjoy DecorAsian's stunning collection of "Fine Things Asian". The "Asian" aesthetic embodied in DecorAsian's collection and sense of style adds peace and harmony to our individual lives and through that, in a small way, to peace and harmony within the world.

DecorAsian will kindly donate 10% of any purchases made during the evening of the performance to Tunas Mekar. You are encouraged to visit their showroom the week before the event so that you may finalize your purchase that night, and thereby facilitate a further donation to Tunas Mekar. DecorAsian is open every day, from 10:30am-6:00pm. Call 303-998-5632 for more information.

PRE- AND POST-CONCERT EVENTS

Pre-concert music will be performed on the sublime gender wayang by the quartet Catur Eka Santi. Gender wayang is an ensemble of instruments that traditionally accompany the shadow puppet plays (wayang kulit) of Bali.

Doors open at 6:45pm, music and dance performance starts at 7:30pm. A light reception will follow the concert, with an opportunity to meet the performers and see the intricately carved instruments up close.

TICKETS

Tickets are $15; $10 students, seniors & children 12 and under. Tickets may be purchased in advance at either the Denver or Boulder DecorAsian location, or online at Tunas Mekar's website.

DecorAsian is located at 1787 South Broadway in Denver. Visit their website to view their collection online and for more information: www.DecorAsianStyle.com

Photos: Top:Ni Ketut Marni performs Taman Sari welcome dance. Photo by Marc Sabatella. Above: Gamelan Tunas Mekar performs on the traditional gamelan angklung instruments at the Denver School of the Arts, Denver, Colorado.