Ida Ayu Ari Candrawati

Brattleboro and Vermont welcomes Balinese Dance and Music Masters Ida Ayu Ari Candrawati and Nyoman Saptanyana for Spotlight Indonesia events during April 2009, a collaboration of sponsors American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (AICC) and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (New York), host-coordinator Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT), and hosting partners, Brattleboro Area Middle School, Brattleboro School of Dance, the Latchis Theatre, and Windham Regional Career Center. Performances at the Latchis were part of a community cross-cultural program of events that included demonstration workshops in the schools.

Gamelan Dharma Swara is the teaching and performing ensemble of the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (New York). Gamelan is the Balinese word for both the music and the collection of musical instruments that play the indigenous music of Bali and Java.

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.