Pitt dance crew channels Indonesia

Gamelan Dance Ensemble April 11 to 12 8 p.m. Bellefield Auditorium Free for students, $10 general admission

Mark your calendars for this weekend for Pitt’s very own Gamelan Ensemble’s 10th anniversary musical celebration in the Bellefield Auditorium.

Gamelan, a popular Indonesian style of music that is typically an accompaniment to dance, drama, puppet theater and martial arts, is centered on the sounds of percussion instruments such as gongs, chimes, metal-keyed instruments and drums. Bowed lute and vocals are also complements. The weekend performance will also include supplementary Sundanese instruments from West Java, Indonesia. Characteristically, Gamelan performance signifies a special event of an important life cycle event.

Pitt’s Gamelan Ensemble is headed by Professor of Ethnomusicology Andrew Weintraub, who founded the ensemble in 1997. His motivation was 25 years of research and study and living in Indonesia for a period of time.

“I wanted to pass that knowledge on to my students here at Pitt,” Weintraub said.

The student group executes all aspects of the musical cycle – from study to practice to performance – for their compositions. For the performance, portions of the concert will be broadcast on Indonesian television by Voice of America.

According to Weintraub, the concert will “give people an idea of what’s going on in a different part of the world.”

“You can walk into the concert hall and experience something that you would never see in Pittsburgh,” Weintraub said.

The Dangdut Cowboys, Pitt’s own Indonesian rock band, will be featured in the performance. Band members include the music departments Weintraub on vocals and guitar and Mathew Rosenblum on soprano saxophone. Dangdut is a fusion of pop music styles from Malay, India, the Middle East and the west.

Guest artists include Nano Suratno, an award-winning popular music composer, professional dancer Ening Rumbini, and rising vocalist star Rita Tila. Divided into two parts, the concert will first present the traditional music of Indonesia and later invite the audience to partake in an all-out dance party.