Balinese dance ensemble

Unknown designer, Bali

CFTC #275a-e

Gift of Beulah Blackmore

This Balinese dance ensemble that Blackmore collected is typically worn during the djangèr, a modern Balinese dance that features two rows of girls and boys facing one another. In the early twentieth century, the rising tourist economy impacted the number of Balinese theatrical productions, while the costumes worn by Balinese performers became more elaborate as a means of attracting tourists to the island. The costume Blackmore collected thus draws from a number of traditional Balinese textiles including songkèt and perada. Typically reserved for performances or ceremonial displays, these textiles were either made out of silver and gold threads or decorated with gold dust or gold leaf. This ensemble includes a strip of cotton decorated with perada that would be wrapped around the torso, a sarong that is woven with silver threads and draws from a number of traditional Balinese motifs including the tumpal which consists of a row of triangles and is said to have talismanic properties, a collar adorned with perada and a headdress that is a modification of the traditional Balinese wedding crown.