Dancer profiles
Ni Madé Pujawati (Puja) - Artistic Director
Puja started dancing at the age of six in Tegallalang, Bali, and is a graduate of both the National Conservatory of Music and the Indonesian Institute of Arts. Apart from working with Lila Cita, she also performs Javanese dance with the Southbank Gamelan Players and cross-Asian dance roles with FIPA (the Foundation of Indian Performing Arts). She has performed widely in Europe and the USA and with Lila Cita at the Bali Arts Festival in 2006. To Ni Madé Pujawati homepage
Arja 'Katemu ring Tampaksiring'
Current members (in alphabetical order)
Mamiko Ali
Mamiko has been trained in classical music from the age of five and studied Music Education at Miyagi University of Education in Sendai, Japan. There she was introduced to Gamelan in a university class where she studied with Guning Jati. After graduating she took up Balinese dance and has visited Bali several times to study dance with Ni Gusti Agung Susilawati and Gender Wayang with I Wayan Suweca.
Saryani Asmayawati
Saryani Asmayawati was born in West Java, Indonesia. She started learning and performing Balinese dance at Sanggar Tari Gita Saraswati, Bandung at the age of ten. She learned Sundanese dance at a young age and was a member of Lingkung Seni Sunda at Institut Teknologi Bandung.
Kathryn Barker
Kathryn Barker began dancing at the age of two, studying classical ballet and tap. Between 2000 and 2003 she danced with Dartflight Dance Company, performing regularly in South Devon, including Plymouth Contemporary Arts Festival. In 2002 she travelled to Bali to study Balinese dance with Ibu Raka in Ubud.
Margaret 'Jiggs' Coldiron
Jiggs trained as an actress at the Drama Centre, London and studied Topeng dance and mask carving in Bali. A specialist in Asian performance and masks, she works as a performer, teacher, theatre director and researcher. She's the auther of 'Trance and Transformation of the Actor in Japanese Noh and Balinese Dance Drama' (Mellen Press, 2004 - more details) and teaches on the BA in World Performance at East 15 Ating School. She was back in Bali last year to study Gambuh court dance drama.
Melanie Knowles
Melanie Knowles has studied and performed an eclectic mix of dance genres from flamenco to tribal style belly dance. In 1993, she was fortunate enough to receive the Shansi Memorial Fellowship which took her to Yogyakarta, Central Java, where she studied Balinese dance intensively and the contemporary Javanese choreography of Didik Nini Thowok. She then went on to study and perform Balinese dance in Honolulu, Hawaii, and San Francisco, California with Gamelan Sekar Jaya. In Spring 2001, she began dancing with Ni Madé Pujawati and has performed with the Lila Bhawa dance troupe at the Michaelis Theatre, Roehampton; the Jerwood Hall at St Luke’s and the School of Oriental and African Studies. Melanie played the title role in Euripides’ Hippolytos which toured the East Coast of the United States during the Spring of 2004. She holds an MA in Dance Studies from the University of Surrey, Guildford. Her dissertation, which explores female dance roles and the manner in which women are represented in Balinese dance, was awarded a mark of distinction. Her performance of the virtuoso solo Kebyar Deduk was met with enthusiasm during Lila Cita & Lila Bhawa's 2006 Bali tour.
Jiggs trained as an actress at the Drama Centre, London and studied Topeng dance and mask carving in Bali. A specialist in Asian performance and masks, she works as a performer, teacher, theatre director and researcher. She's the auther of 'Trance and Transformation of the Actor in Japanese Noh and Balinese Dance Drama' (Mellen Press, 2004 - more details) and teaches on the BA in World Performance at East 15 Ating School. She was back in Bali last year to study Gambuh court dance drama.
Melanie Knowles
Melanie Knowles has studied and performed an eclectic mix of dance genres from flamenco to tribal style belly dance. In 1993, she was fortunate enough to receive the Shansi Memorial Fellowship which took her to Yogyakarta, Central Java, where she studied Balinese dance intensively and the contemporary Javanese choreography of Didik Nini Thowok. She then went on to study and perform Balinese dance in Honolulu, Hawaii, and San Francisco, California with Gamelan Sekar Jaya. In Spring 2001, she began dancing with Ni Madé Pujawati and has performed with the Lila Bhawa dance troupe at the Michaelis Theatre, Roehampton; the Jerwood Hall at St Luke’s and the School of Oriental and African Studies. Melanie played the title role in Euripides’ Hippolytos which toured the East Coast of the United States during the Spring of 2004. She holds an MA in Dance Studies from the University of Surrey, Guildford. Her dissertation, which explores female dance roles and the manner in which women are represented in Balinese dance, was awarded a mark of distinction. Her performance of the virtuoso solo Kebyar Deduk was met with enthusiasm during Lila Cita & Lila Bhawa's 2006 Bali tour.
Reka Martin
Reka was born in Budapest, Hungary. She became interested in Asian culture and dance at the age of 20 and joined Kirana Dance Group. She spent a year in Java in 2007 at the Education University of Indonesia in Bandung, graduating in Sundanese dance and pencak silat martial art.
Elan Mottley
Elan has been interested in music from an early age, learning various instruments and singing. She attended performing arts college, focussing on popular music. She recently completed a music degree at SOAS, where she began playing Balinese gamelan in 2008.
Andrea Rutkowski
Andrea began learning and performing Indonesian dances at the age of eight with the group Kridha Budaya Sari in Stuttgart, Germany. Journeys to Indonesia have enabled her to take further dance lessons. With the group Pesona Indonesia in Frankfurt she has extended her tradition-based repertoire with modern folk dance.
Gillian Roberts
Gill trained and worked for several years as an actor before studying dance theatre in Indonesia. She made her Balinese dance début with Lila Bhawa and also specialises in performing and teaching Javanese dance. Her work includes appearances with leading gamelan groups in the UK and Ireland, choreography for a BBC2 ‘Reputations’ documentary about Mata Hari, mask dance coaching for principals in the first-run cast of ‘The Lion King’ in the West End, and articles on dance for a number of publications including the Contemporary Theatre Review and Seleh Notes, the UK gamelan newsletter. She has studied Balinese dance and tembang with Ni Madé Pujawati since 2000.
Kate Wakeling
Gill trained and worked for several years as an actor before studying dance theatre in Indonesia. She made her Balinese dance début with Lila Bhawa and also specialises in performing and teaching Javanese dance. Her work includes appearances with leading gamelan groups in the UK and Ireland, choreography for a BBC2 ‘Reputations’ documentary about Mata Hari, mask dance coaching for principals in the first-run cast of ‘The Lion King’ in the West End, and articles on dance for a number of publications including the Contemporary Theatre Review and Seleh Notes, the UK gamelan newsletter. She has studied Balinese dance and tembang with Ni Madé Pujawati since 2000.
Kate Wakeling
Kate recently completed a PhD from SOAS on the construction of Balinese gamelan music theory. She began learning Balinese dance in London with Ni Madé Pujawati in 2006 and continued her studies in Bali in 2007. Last year she received a Finzi Trust scholarship to studay Bharatanatyam dance and Carnartic flute in Tamil Nadu.
Juli Widjajanti Gusler
Juli was born in West Java, Indonesia. She started learning and performing Balinese dance at the age of nine at The Sanggar Tari Komplek Hankam in Kelapa Dua, West Java, Indonesia where she lived until 1990. Since 2005 she has retrained under the guidance of Ni Madé Pujawati.
OBs - dancers currently not dancing (mostly moved abroad)
but we remember you all!
Shigeko Morita
Shigeko lived in Jakarta from 1981 to 1991 and from 1995 to 1998. She began learning Balinese dance in 1984 at classes in Sanggar Tari Bali Judy-Chandra in Jakarta, and took private lessons in Singaraja, Bali. While she was in London for her degrees at SOAS, she studied the dance further with Ni Madé Pujawati.
Wayan Melayu (Din)
Din started learning Balinese dance in 2000 under the tutelage of Ni Madé Pujawati. He earned his wings in Olèg Tamulilingan (the Bumblebee Dance) at the SOAS Alumni Open Day in Summer 2000. He teaches Malay/Indonesian language and culture at the Language Centre SOAS.
Hanna Sastrawan
Hanna is Balinese and started learning Balinese dance at the age of seven. Although she has graduated as a medical doctor, she has continued to perform Balinese dance. Since 2004 she has been studying dance with Ni Madé Pujawati.
Savitri Sastrawan (Vitri)
Vitri was born in Bali in 1990. She started leaning Balinese dance when she was seven and made her first performance the same year. From 1998 to 2001 she studied dance in Bali with the will-known dancer Wayan Arini Alit. Since 2004 she has been learning the dance with Ni Madé Pujawati.
Damaiyanti Sastrawan (Yanti)
Yanti was born in New York in 1991. She started learning Balinese dance at the age of eight with Wayan Arini Alit. Since 2004 she has been learning the dance with Ni Madé Pujawati.
Shigeko Morita
Shigeko lived in Jakarta from 1981 to 1991 and from 1995 to 1998. She began learning Balinese dance in 1984 at classes in Sanggar Tari Bali Judy-Chandra in Jakarta, and took private lessons in Singaraja, Bali. While she was in London for her degrees at SOAS, she studied the dance further with Ni Madé Pujawati.
Wayan Melayu (Din)
Din started learning Balinese dance in 2000 under the tutelage of Ni Madé Pujawati. He earned his wings in Olèg Tamulilingan (the Bumblebee Dance) at the SOAS Alumni Open Day in Summer 2000. He teaches Malay/Indonesian language and culture at the Language Centre SOAS.
Hanna Sastrawan
Hanna is Balinese and started learning Balinese dance at the age of seven. Although she has graduated as a medical doctor, she has continued to perform Balinese dance. Since 2004 she has been studying dance with Ni Madé Pujawati.
Savitri Sastrawan (Vitri)
Vitri was born in Bali in 1990. She started leaning Balinese dance when she was seven and made her first performance the same year. From 1998 to 2001 she studied dance in Bali with the will-known dancer Wayan Arini Alit. Since 2004 she has been learning the dance with Ni Madé Pujawati.
Damaiyanti Sastrawan (Yanti)
Yanti was born in New York in 1991. She started learning Balinese dance at the age of eight with Wayan Arini Alit. Since 2004 she has been learning the dance with Ni Madé Pujawati.
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