Gamelan music and dance are a unique and colourful part of everyday Balinese life. There are more than 45 different types of gamelan orchestras in Bali and hundreds of dances. However, few people are aware that some of these art-forms are rare and even endangered. Due to modernisation, globalisation, misguided tourism and a generally faster-paced way of life, the older traditions have lost popularity—in some cases, disappeared completely.

Mekar Bhuana is active in the revival, preservation and conservation of these rich and wonderful, yet undervalued art-forms.

Based on more than a decade of research, we work closely with senior guru from the villages, as well as professional musicians and dancers, to reconstruct, revitalise and re-popularise a near-extinct tradition.

Mekar Bhuana has a number of aims:

- to increase local and international awareness about rare and endangered Balinese performing art-forms

- to help encourage villages and courts to preserve their valuable art-forms, including original gamelan instruments, instrumentation, playing style, repertoire, dance costumes and local style

- to learn rare performing art-forms from local guru and reconstruct gamelan repertoire from recordings and notation

- to record, document rare performing art-forms

- to produce and release CDs, VCDs and DVDs of rare performing art-forms

- to provide a centre where anybody can come and learn these rare art-forms. We want people to appreciate the beauty of these unique styles of music and dance. Our musicians and dancers continue to study and are capable of performing a number of rare styles from villages across Bali.

- to increase the level of performance and tour professionalism in traditional performing art-forms

- to improve the local performance conditions, reciprocation and treatment of traditional performing artists

- to protect the rights and sensibilities of traditional performing artists

- to encourage the establishment of a unification of performing arts troupes in Bali in order to improve performance terms and conditions

- to one day provide an complete archive of traditional performing art-forms that is accessible to the general public and a place where people who are passionate about Balinese gamelan and dance can gather, learn and share their valuable knowledge and experience.

At the moment, we are focusing on medieval court music and dance, by learning compositions from guru or old recordings. Our musicians then play the music on the antique orchestras at the conservatory. Mekar Bhuana’s concept of faithful preservation is analogous to creating a living museum—like playing Mozart on baroque instruments.

In Balinese, Mekar means ‘to blossom’ and Bhuana means ‘the world’. We hope that these old art-forms will one day blossom again not only in Bali, but around the world.