GV12 WAYANG KULIT: Shadow Puppet Theater of Bali DVD Located just 8 degrees south of the equator and 2 miles east of Java is an Indonesian Island so celebrated in legend that the mere mention of its name conjures up images of mystery and excitement. That magical place is Bali, Indonesia. Traveling 1/2 way around the world to a completely different culture, multi award-winning filmmaker Bob Bryan discovered the fantastic Wayang Kulit Shadow Puppet Theater. In this wonderful presentation, Bob shares the live shadow play (performed in it s entirety on-location in Bali, Indonesia) for all of us to experience and enjoy. Wayang is the Indonesian word for theater (literally means shadow ). Kulit means skin (the puppets are made of leather). The Dalang or Master Puppeteer is believed to communicate between the physical and spiritual world. The Dalang brings the puppets to life while simultaneously singing, speaking all the voices of the characters & tapping out all the cues for the musicians. These Shadow Puppets are thought by the Balinese people to possess amazing mystical & spiritual powers. Believe it or not, the amazing Wayang Kulit performances date back over 800 years. All Shadow Puppet plays are accompanied by the Gamelan Orchestra which is composed of musicians & instruments as a distinct entity. The word Gamelan comes from the Javanese word Gamels, meaning to strike or hammer . The Shadow Puppet characters usually speak in 3 languages: · God s & High Class Characters speak Kawi (Ancient Javanese) · Servants speak High Balinese · Characters addressing the Audience Modern Balinese & English . This Wayang Kulit performance and its characters are based upon the Indian(n) Epic The Mahabharata composed between 300 BC and 200 AD, which is the longest work in world literature. Over 3 times as long as the Bible... it is oftentimes referred to as the great story of India. For centuries Wayang Kulit was Bali s version of Cinema.... considered by many a sacred ritual. Enjoy! Additional Bonus Feature: INDONESIAN PARADISE BALI (Travel Documentary) Traveling around Bali as a guest of the Balinese Government, filmmaker Bob Bryan was able to capture the beauty and splendor of a truly unique travel destination. The title INDONESIAN PARADISE BALI really does say it all.