Today we’d like to introduce you to Dewa Ayu Larassanti.
Hi Dewa Ayu, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am Japanese American, Javanese, and Balinese. I grew up both in the Bay Area, California, and Bali, Indonesia. As a result, I am bicultural and have strong ties to my heritage. I have studied Balinese music and dance at Çudamani, my parents’ arts company in Bali, since I was five years old, and have continued pursuing the arts since. I was also an active member of Gamelan Sekar Jaya, a Balinese arts organization based in Berkeley, CA. I studied World Arts and Cultures at UCLA, double minoring in Ethnomusicology and Entrepreneurship.
My professional acting debut was the voice of Kena, the main character in “Kena: Bridge of Spirits,” an indie videogame by EmberLab that has been released on PS5, PS4, and PC. My dad collaborated with their composer to bring Indonesian music and sounds into the score, particularly Balinese gamelan. I am so happy that the project did really well, I hope it becomes an example for what can happen when cultural collaborations are done with respect to the cultures, and with proper representation.
Since then, I have been choreographing and managing arts projects, both in Bali and in California. Starting this winter, I will be a Fulbright Scholar, studying from and working with elderly master artists in Bali, Indonesia.
Last year, a mutual friend got Sophie Mutiara Nova and me in touch, and we talked about “Indah and the Spirits,” an Indonesian-American punk fantasy film that they are working on. I have been cast as Indah, and I get to co-star with my friend Dylan Djoenadi. We’re now rehearsing for it and preparing for our shoot. Keep an eye out for the release!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road definitely has bumps! Growing up and switching between Bali and California was quite difficult for me and my brother. We did a significant amount of cultural code-switching, which was linguistically challenging, and it presented a number of obstacles in academics since we were switching schools every year.
Artistically, it was difficult as well. When I was in California, I had few opportunities to train in Balinese dance and music. And when I was in Bali, I couldn’t keep up with the Western arts I was learning, including choir, dance, and theater. Most of the art activities I was involved in had to be done (or at least was more enjoyable) in ensembles with my friends. Going back and forth made it difficult to stay at the levels I had achieved in the arts while also making it hard to maintain friendships.
At UCLA, I was an overachiever and would often overwhelm myself with taking an absurd number of classes while also learning new forms of art while also trying to keep up with the art forms I knew while also becoming an arts activist.
Being an arts activist also presents challenges, particularly when I’m pushing against the norm, like the patriarchy. People sometimes have a hard time understanding why and how I choose to create certain pieces.
Lastly, finding opportunities to create work can be challenging, but I will take as many opportunities as I can get! I am grateful for the support from my family and friends who come from different backgrounds but ultimately understand why my ambition in the arts is important.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a dancer, musician, singer, and actor. I specialize in traditional Balinese dance and love to experiment. I’m known for my dancing, particularly in the “bebancihan” style (androgynous, both masculine and feminine). I teach music and dance at Çudamani, my parents’ arts company in Pengosekan, my village in Bali. What sets me apart from others is my heritage and connection to multiple cultures, which informs every artistic endeavor.
As an artist, I love learning art forms I’m not familiar with. Every quarter at UCLA, I deliberately took at least one music and one dance class that was outside of my repertoire, including Thai music, Ballet, Hip Hop, and more. Learning from other artists in other art forms helps me continue to grow as an artist and performer and thus helps me become a better teacher.
As a Balinese dance teacher, in addition to training dancers in technique and repertoire, I love to empower young women by giving them the opportunity to create, placing importance on the voices of young people who are often dismissed and overlooked.
At the moment, I am most proud of the choreographies I’ve done in Pengosekan. “Pengerebhuana” is a dance drama that I choreographed in my village in collaboration with composers I Dewa Gede Wijaya and I Komang Gede Sandanuarta. This piece was for “Pengrupukan,” the day before “Nyepi,” Bali’s Day of Silence. It features intense characters and “ogoh-ogoh” (giants / monsters made of wood, bamboo, and paper maché). Dancers and musicians consisted of youth organization members, and the piece heavily involved and was created for our community.
Another piece I’ve done recently is called “Paksi Jetayu.” This piece was a collaboration with composers I Dewa Putu Berata (my dad) and I Dewa Putu Rai (my uncle), with dancers and musicians in Çudamani, created to accompany one of our sacred masks in Pengosekan, Ratu Sakti. This piece debuted at one of the big temple ceremonies in Pengosekan. It was nerve-wracking, but people loved it!
For both pieces mentioned, the dancers and musicians had fun and our community enjoyed the performances, which is everything I could have hoped for.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice would be: be brave to try something new!
I wish my younger self wasn’t so afraid to be a beginner. I had a tough time trying new things if I wasn’t certain that I would be good. Being from a family of artists, I felt that my journey as an artist took some time in comparison. When trying new things, I felt like I shouldn’t bother trying unless I knew I could be perfect. Obviously, nobody is perfect, no piece of art will be perfect, nothing (perhaps with the exception of certain aspects of math, and maybe not even then!), will be utterly perfect. We are limiting ourselves and closing a lot of doors if we obsess over perfection.
I am my own worst critic, as many others are to themselves. I kept myself in a perfect little box, smoothing out any dents that were made. I realized later on that the reason I had such a hard time creating new works of art was because I limited myself.
Honestly, any time I decide to try something new, I am scared. And yet every time, I end up having fun! I am definitely not perfect; I think my Hip Hop and West African dance professors would still cry if they watched me. But I created new connections, and I learned so much. My acting debut in “Kena: Bridge of Spirits” was a big leap of faith. I was afraid to disappoint people. But if I hadn’t taken every chance and tried all of those new things, I would not be who I am today.
Interestingly, one of the most difficult years of my life opened up a flood of creativity. When I was younger, creating anything was a challenge. I realized during the toughest year that in not caring about anything, I had stopped caring about others’ perception of my work, of others’ opinions in general, and of my own opinions of my work. I finally felt the freedom to create, to freestyle, and to break myself out of the box I had created. Since that year, I have reflected, and I had the chance to heal and to grow while making sure I don’t fall back into my own box. Now, I’m still working on being brave, but I try to put myself out there, do new things, and maintain my creative freedom!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwayu_larassanti/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dewaayu.larassanti/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dewa-ayu-larassanti
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AyuLarassanti/
Image Credits
Dewa Gde Tejanata, dwprbw, Giancarlo Galavotti, Gavin Ryan
