So yeah. this and the two posts below are my very very overdue livejournal posts of my trip to Solo with the NUS Singanglaras Gamelan Ensemble. Totally zesty trip, and i'm glad i went with the group, since Solo is sort of a place where modernity hasn't really been kind, but luckily the unkindness takes place mostly along the bigger, dirtier streets ( Read more... )

Cakra Homestay, Institut Seni Indonesia (Surakarta), Museums and Performances, Gamelan Workshop


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Solo has two palaces, the Keraton and the Mangkunegara; the latter is a smaller one. Nonetheless, i hear that in recent times it is the Mangkunegara that seems to have survived better, having more money to upkeep its premises and continue its tradition. Each palaces has a different dance/gamelan tradition, as do the two courts in Jogjakarta.


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