About Us

Under the direction of our Balinese directors I Nyoman Saptanyana and Ida Ayu Ari Candrawati, we study, perform, and teach the music and dance of Bali in New York City and surrounding areas. Existing members of about 20 individuals come from a variety of academic, professional, and artistic backgrounds. Rehearsals, which are 1-2 times a week, are open to the public, and we also teach basic beginners classes and hold workshops.

About Balinese Music and Dance

The unique Balinese and Javanese gamelan orchestras, characterized by tuned gongs, developed sometime between 9th to 15th centuries when Central and Eastern Javanese Hindu-Buddhist empires expanded their cultural influence throughout present-day Southeast Asia. Today, instruments similar to those of the gamelan are found throughout the region. As in many areas of Southeast Asia, traditional Balinese theater and dance involves enactments of Indian Hindu epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Javanese legends such as the Panji tales as well as a number of local legends.

Balinese lore maintains that, as the population of Central Java increasingly came under the influence of Islam between the 14th-16th centuries, large numbers of Hindus (primarily, it is said, from the noble ranks and including many artists) retreated to Hindu Bali bringing with them early forms of gamelan and dance styles. Today, the musical landscape of Bali, an extremely small, volcanic island in Indonesia, is incredibly dense. Much like Darwin’s famed finches, the few ancient ensembles and dance styles quickly evolved into an almost bewildering number of distinct and uniquely Balinese forms. Dharma Swara studies a variety of these forms, from ancient dances once performed to entertain the rajas in their palaces, to the loud and virtuosic repertoire of the contemporary kebyar ensemble and experimental seven-tone works performed on the newly created gamelan semara dana.

Our Teachers

Dharma Swara Music Director I Nyoman Saptanyana began playing gamelan at the age of seven, performing with his neighborhood ensemble in the village of Ubud. He obtained a bachelors degree in music from the Indonesian National Conservatory (ISI) in Denpasar, Bali in 1989, and went on to lead the Sadha Budaya group in Ubud from 1986 - 2000 as well as the ARMA ensemble, Kumara Sari, from 1995-2000. In 1999, he led the children's gamelan at ARMA to victory in the gamelan gong kebyar competition at the island-wide Bali Arts Festival. Mr. Saptanyana has performed in international tours in Asia and Europe. He is currently a local staff member at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in New York City.

Dharma Swara Dance Director Ida Ayu Ari Candrawati began dancing the challenging pelegongan repertoire at age seven under the renowned teacher Cok Istri Agung of Singapadu village. Her professional dancing career began with the Sadha Budaya group of Ubud in 1982. In 1992 she graduated from the Indonesian National Conservatory (ISI) in Denpasar, Bali. She has performed in international tours in Asia and Europe. From 1995-2000 she danced with the ARMA ensemble, Kumara Sari, and in 1999 choreographed a new work that was performed at the island-wide Bali Arts Festival. She became dance director of Gamelan Dharma Swara in 2001.

Interested in learning and playing with Gamelan Dharma Swara?

Gamelan Dharma Swara's performers and students come from a variety of academic, professional, cultural, and artistic backgrounds. What we all share is the love of studying and performing traditional and new works for Balinese gamelan and dance!

Taking lessons and workshops:  We run ongoing beginners' classes in Balinese music and dance, as well as occasional workshops on special topics or art forms. Please email info@dharmaswara.org for more information about classes and workshops.

Performing: Gamelan Dharma Swara performs regularly throughout New York City and the greater Tri-State area. The best time for interested newcomers to join is at the start of each performance season, such as the month of September (for our fall season), the month of January (for our spring season), or over the summer. Our rehearsals are always open to the public, but being part of the performing troupe for any one event will of course be at the discretion of the directors and depends ultimately on ability, stage presence, our performance schedule, and current group size. Please email join@dharmaswara.org for more information about joining the group.