"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.