On New Years Eve I was wandering around and found a street festival. A man explained to me, as near as I can understand, that it was to commemorate the new pavement of the street, and also to celebrate the New Year.
There was an orchestra of 14 men, seated on the ground, playing drums, gamelans and flutes. Three females danced, one at a time. This was traditional Balinese dancing, which is derived from Hindu forms, with the fascinating body postures, hand positions, eye and head movements, and facial expressions. It was a fun, neighborhood event. Each woman danced for awhile and then went into the audience to pick a male partner to dance with, to the uproarious laughter of the crowd. One dancer picked a westerner to join her, yes, yours truly.
It appeared to be a potluck. Women kept showing up with additional plates of food which were laid out on two tables. I was invited multiple times to dig in.
Fireworks were going off all over town all night and they reached a crescendo at midnight, which I viewed from the three-story rooftop restaurant, Black Beach.
There was an orchestra of 14 men, seated on the ground, playing drums, gamelans and flutes. Three females danced, one at a time. This was traditional Balinese dancing, which is derived from Hindu forms, with the fascinating body postures, hand positions, eye and head movements, and facial expressions. It was a fun, neighborhood event. Each woman danced for awhile and then went into the audience to pick a male partner to dance with, to the uproarious laughter of the crowd. One dancer picked a westerner to join her, yes, yours truly.
It appeared to be a potluck. Women kept showing up with additional plates of food which were laid out on two tables. I was invited multiple times to dig in.
Fireworks were going off all over town all night and they reached a crescendo at midnight, which I viewed from the three-story rooftop restaurant, Black Beach.
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