Bali Mecanique1992

Starring the dancers from the Tirta Sari, Gunung Sari and Samara Jati gamelan orchestras of Peliatan. BALI MECANIQUE is a two-part, self-reflective study of the dance and rhythms of life in Bali, combining experimental film techniques with documentary-style footage. The first section presents a complete Legong dance intercut with footage of Odalans (temple celebrations) and sacred architecture, building into an increasingly frenetic collage as the dance reaches its crescendo. In contrast, the second section weaves together footage of lush rice terraces and the "erotic bumblebee" of the Oleg Tambulilingan dance to give a humorous literalization of the "other" vision of Bali; the Westerners' paradise on Earth, set to the original record of "Bali Hai" from South Pacific, which the filmmaker grew up on and recently found in a stack of discs on the floor of a closet in his parents' house. The film ends with the famous Kris dance of Batubulan as it is performed today.