The meaning behind beautiful poses
Juni is a strict teacher. She has high standards and expects her students to learn proper movements. The tradition of Balinese dance has been passed down from generation to generation. Every individual dance has its own choreography and costumes. Juni pays strict attention to posture, the body’s curvature while in motion, and the expressiveness of the eyes. She strictly critiques every gesture in the hope that students can capture the stunning beauty of the genre.
Beginners find it difficult to synchronize their movements to the music. Traditional Balinese music doesn’t have a clear beat, but the choreography nonetheless follows the music, as one moves one’s head to the sound of the drum. There are different musical cues to trigger a variety of gestures with the eyes, the fingers, the neck, and the feet. From a young age, Juni grew accustomed to these melodies and movements. When she hears the music, her body automatically responds to its rhythms. But beginners, struggling to count out a beat, won’t move correctly. The only way to learn is to play the music over and over so that the dancer eventually becomes fully immersed and at one with it.
Juni hopes that the general public will gain a greater understanding of the meaning behind Balinese dance. Legong dance, which is the foundation of all Balinese dance, is concerned with conveying the quintessence of feminine elegance. Everything else in the Balinese dance repertoire extends from that. According to tradition, only prepubescent girls could perform legong, and they could perform it only at the royal court. But with political reforms and the development of tourism, these restrictions no longer hold.
Juni also hopes that Taiwanese will delve deeper into Balinese culture, seeing with their eyes and with their hearts what is so captivating about traditional Balinese dance.
Lee Chia-ling has been studying dance with her mother since she was a student in junior high school. Today they perform together.