Foreigners playing traditional Balinese gamelan instruments added a lively twist to the 2025 Bali Arts Festival (PKB) parade. They joined the arts and cultural troupe from Badung Regency, who closed the event with a performance that drew enthusiastic applause.
Quoted from DetikBali, at 5:38 p.m. local time, the Badung contingent marched from the east side of Puputan Renon Square toward the heart of the parade grounds. Leading the group was a young woman in elegant Balinese attire carrying a sign reading “Badung Regency,” flanked by the formally dressed jegeg bagus couple.
Behind them came men bearing spears and royal banners, followed by Balinese girls balancing towering gebogan offerings stacked with fruit, each standing over a meter tall. The crowd watched as drama dancers took the stage, while a vibrant gamelan ensemble filled the air with traditional melodies.
Adding something special, dozens of foreigners joined in, beating drums, blowing flutes, and even dancing on a wheeled platform pushed by parade staff and pecalang, the local community security.
“This is my first time performing at PKB, but I can already play the gamelan smoothly,” shared Alexandra Smotryts, a Semara Pegulingan gamelan player from Kerobokan, Badung. Alexandra explained she has been learning Balinese gamelan for four years since enrolling at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Denpasar, so performing at PKB felt natural. “I’m very happy. Really excited,” she added.
Ethan, a performer from Nashville, Tennessee, also joined the gamelan players. Despite feeling tired from the demanding routine, he said, “I’ve been learning gamelan for two years. I studied for two years in Nashville, Tennessee, America. But the parade is quite energy-draining.”
Meanwhile, from Montreal, Canada, Pierre Pare Blais and Laurent Bellemare had to keep playing their flutes while walking. Blais admitted this was trickier than it seemed: “Blowing the flute itself is easy. What’s hard is keeping the rhythm with the baleganjur players in front and behind me. Sometimes my notes go a bit off,” he laughed.
In contrast, Bellemare, who has studied traditional Balinese music for ten years at the University of Montreal, felt confident throughout. “No difficulties. Everything went fine. The only difference is the technique, because this is Semara Pegulingan gamelan. I usually study gamelan gebyar and gamelan angklung,” said the man affectionately known as Bli Laurent.
Arya Deva Suryanegara, head of Sanggar Naradha Gita (Nagi), explained these foreign participants weren’t just passing tourists. Some are scholarship students from the University of Montreal who came specifically to study art in Bali. “We have many friends from abroad at our arts center. I myself just came from abroad (Canada) to teach,” Arya shared.
Read also: Bali Arts Festival 2025 Opens, Celebrating Nearly Five Decades of Cultural Brilliance
According to Arya, their participation fits perfectly with the 2025 PKB theme, Jagat Kerthi, which calls for harmony in living together, regardless of cultural background. “It’s about how we live side by side in harmony with others, whether they come from outside or from Bali. They are living beings too. Let’s all love gamelan together,” he said.
This blend of tradition and global friendship turned the closing act from Badung Regency into more than just a performance—it became a symbol of cultural exchange, unity, and the timeless power of music.
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