Close up view of Balinese masked dancer enacting Old Man
About this photograph
- Creator
- Margery H. Freeman
- Date created
- 1986
- Location
- Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
- License
- This photograph copyright ©2007. Terms of use
See this photograph in context
- Traditional performing arts in Bali: Photographs and text illustrate traditional performance in Bali, including music, theater, and dance. (Page 8)
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In the classroom
- See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
A close up view shows a Balinese masked dancer enacting the Old Man character.
The dancer’s left hand is held out forward with his thumb and forefinger bent inward. The dancer’s face mask is carved with a wrinkled forehead, staring eyes, and a large moustache. The collar of his cape is covered with sequins and fringe, and a sword is mounted in back of his right shoulder.
Masked dances have existed for over a thousand years in Java and Bali. With their faces covered by a mask, the dancers must convey all the character’s feelings without the help of facial expressions.
Masked dances featuring the Old Man are favored in Bali. Although frail with age, through dance, the character remembers and enacts a time in the past when he had more energy and vigor.
