Introduction: The Spectacle of Otherness

Abstract

Today it is not rare to find non-Indonesians studying gamelan in a huge variety of contexts, ranging from universities to prisons. Puppeteers, dancers and musicians from Java and Bali regularly teach and perform in Europe, North America, Australia, Japan, Singapore and around the world. If you turn on your television you can hear gamelan sounds sampled in commercials and cartoons, and you can watch thousands of videos of Javanese and Balinese performance, along with instructional videos at video file-sharing websites such as YouTube. A global community of Indonesian performing arts experts and students communicate daily via a gamelan listserv. Puppets, masks and other performing objects (even entire gamelan sets) are available for purchase via the internet as well. Scores of students from around the world arrive annually from Europe, the Americas, Australia, Japan and many other countries to study the traditional arts in conservatories in central Java and Bali supported by scholarships from the Indonesian government. Exchange programmes funded by the Ford Foundation (APPEX, Arts Network Asia) facilitate international collaborations. Events such as the Indonesia Performing Arts Mart promote Indonesian companies to international presenters.