The great merit of Performance in Bali is clarity. Bali is replete with performance and performativity. Representations of action, per se, in religion, ritual, ceremony, magic and entertainment intersect daily in Bali, with stories, epics, traditions, symbols, histories and the languages of dance, music and mask. They are not yet numbered the dances of the East. This can all be quite overwhelming. This book clarifies; methodically, precisely and carefully parsing the threads of the Balinese performance fabric; Wayang, Sanghyang and Gambuh to Topeng, from shadow, mysticism, trance-dance to spectacular masked theatre. Indeed, this latest edition includes a concluding chapter on contemporary Balinese performance. A taxonomy of Balinese theatre, from the twin perspectives of an insider and outsider. For the student learner, the curious visitor, the serious scholar, and art aficionado.T. Sasitharan, Co-founder & Director, Intercultural Theatre Training Institute, SingaporeBalinese Performance is one of the main subjects of study in our BA World Performance training and "Performance in Bali", since its publication, has being an essential tool for our students. The book is brilliantly written, in an uncomplicated way, perfect not only for readers to have a clear and updated insight on Balinese thoughts and practice, but also for helping those having a first contact with Balinese culture and performance. I do recommend the book "Performance in Bali" that should certainly be on any reading list regarding world theatre theory and practice. Dr Ramiro Silveira, Senior Lecturer, Head of BA World Performance / East 15, University of EssexThis is a great book providing great critical description on various forms of Balinese performances. The new chapter on Balinese contemporary performance is especially important for it will complete the general picture of the latest development in Balinese performance. I Wayan Dibia, Professor, Insitut Seni Denpasar, IndonesiaAimed at performance practitioners as well as theatre scholars, this book takes us to the very centre of Balinese performance culture. Richly detailed and packed with extraordinary insights, the authors reflect on the importance of tradition whilst suimultanously embracing wider and more contemporaneous undesrtanding of performance from within an international context, as exemplified in the unique new edition.Professor David Shirley, Executive Dean, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)This beautifully illustrated book is a painstakingly researched work presenting unique insights on the performance practices of a small island whose extraordinary tradition have had a profound and lasting influence on theatrical histories, East and West. Like the Balinese performances it analyses, this is a wonderfully vivid, fascinating and inspiring book. The chapter on contemporary Balinese performance is an exciting addition.Professor Steve Dixon, President, LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts SingaporeThe second edition of Leon Rubin and Nyoman Sedana’s Performance in Bali integrates first-rate scholarship with a practitioner’s expertise. They have introduced a chapter on contemporary Balinese performance and included over a dozen colour images, the sum of which enhance the book’s previously established excellence. It is as eloquently written as it is accessible while offering an impressive account of Balinese culture and performance. Performance in Bali has been a staple in actor training for the past two decades and this new edition ensures that it will continue as such for years to come.Dr. Peter Zazzali, Professor of Theatre, Chair of Acting & Directing, James Madison University, USA This fascinating account of theatrical forms and traditions in Bali shows how important cultural practice is for an understanding of contemporary Bali. The illuminating insights that Rubin and Sedona bring to heritage performance adapted for a modern setting with topical references highlight the tensions that Balinese society is confronted with today. This new edition with a chapter on contemporary Balinese performance is especially exciting for students and scholars to read.Professor Colin Riordan, Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities and former Vice Chancellor, Cardiff UniversityThis remarkable work stands as a significant contribution to the field of theatre and performance, blending scholarly insight with cultural knowledge. This book is already in our university library and, as an acting teacher, I encourage my student to explore its insights to broaden their visions regarding Balinese performance tradition including dance-drama, ritual theatre and the role of the performer in different cultural environments.Performance in Bali is not only an important academic text but also a resource for artists, educators and students seeking to understand non-Western performance traditions and the new edition will offer more comprehension on this subject.I wholeheartedly endorse this book and recommend it to anyone interested in performance practice, traditional and contemporary theatre-making and the dynamic intersection of culture and performance.Bogdana Darie, Dean of Theatre Faculty, National University of Theatre and Film “I.L.Caragiale’’ BucharestBased on in-depth research and written in an accessible way, this book is required reading for the study and appreciation of the performing arts in Bali. The authors detail the fundamentals of the major Balinese performance genres, paying close attention to their roots in cosmology, ritual, and community life. Moreover, these are living traditions, with newer practices evolving amid social and technological change over recent decades – as fascinatingly discussed in the final chapter on contemporary Balinese performance. Taken together, the chapters portray the vitality of the performance traditions innovatively sustained by dedicated practitioners under conditions of rapid modernisation.Professor Kwok Kian Woon, Vice Chancellor University of the Arts Singapore
