Wasn't it Friedrich Nietzsche who said he "would believe only in a god that knows how to dance"?
As I am reading your article on pg. 1, "Folklore requires protection: Expert", (Oct. 28) about the World Heritage Cities Conference, it reminds me of these amazing little girls learning traditional Balinese dances at the Agung Rai Museum of Art in Ubud, Bali.
With unstoppable commitment, everyday a group of more than 40 young girls, ages five to 14, attend these free classes for two hours.
Yes, you read it right, free classes! Supported by the museum that provides the best teachers, pays for the salaries, costumes, attires and make up, these classes have been set up by Agung Rai himself as a manifestation of his vision, a unique concept for a museum: keeping the arts alive -- out of the rooms, out of the box -- shaped by the uniqueness of the cultural traditions of Bali.
"Because children are the future", Agung Rai says, educating them and transmitting this heritage to them is essential. Along with dance comes gamelan music, painting, carving and batik classes -- all part of a unique tradition. But support and protection are needed or the classes will come to an abrupt end for lack of funds.
Watch them: Learning and rehearsing timeless gestures, specific movements of the hands, gracefully positioning the head, the eyes -- all movements patiently taught and ritually codified in a meaningful way.
"We pray to Saraswati to bless our dancing," explain the girls who sprinkle each other with holy water at the temple before joining the class. Actually, maybe it's not a bad idea to pray for the World Heritage Conference as well.
Pray that it urgently brings to fruition that "international protection instrument" they keep talking about -- before the gods themselves lose their memory of the steps and the children are left with TV programs only.
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