Bulantrisna Djelantik
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8 September 1947
Ayu Bulantrisna Djelantik | |
|---|---|
 Bulantrisna Djelantik portraying Calon Arang in a Balinese dance drama based on Toeti Heraty's version of the story | |
| Born | Ayu Bulantrisna Djelantik 8 September 1947 Deventer, Netherlands |
| Died | 24 February 2021 (aged 73) Jakarta, Indonesia |
Ayu Bulantrisna Djelantik (8 September 1947 – 24 February 2021) was a Dutch-born Indonesian traditional Balinese dancer, ENT specialist, and a lecturer at the faculty of medicine at Padjadjaran University.
Bulantrisna was born as the first child of five siblings, from the Balinese-Dutch couple Dr. A.A. Made Djelantik and Astri Henriette Zwart.[1] Her father was the son of I Gusti Bagus Jelantik, the raja of the Karangasem Regency.[2] Her mother was the daughter of the famous Dutch designer Piet Zwart, a proponent of the De Stijl movement.[3] Bulantrisna's father was studying in the Netherlands during the Indonesian independence upheaval, where he met his future wife. As a WHO malariologist and head of the Bali Health Department, Dr. Djelantik worked in many places across Indonesia and abroad.[4]
Bulantrisna spent her childhood in Bali, where her father summoned traditional dance experts who taught her and her siblings classical Balinese dances.[2][5] She then continued her medical studies in Bandung, Indonesia, and she had a career as a doctor and lived abroad for some years including in the United States.[2]
Career
She came back to Indonesia after four years abroad and lived in Bandung.[6] She taught at the Faculty of Medicine, Padjadjaran University, and worked as an otolaryngologist. Bulantrisna was also the chair of the Southeast Asia Society for Sound Hearing.[2]
Bulantrisna founded a dance studio called Bengkel Tari Ayu Bulan (Ayu Bulan's Dance Workshop), which is still active in conducting workshops and performing in Indonesia as well as in many other countries.[6] She performed mainly classical legong dances with her dance troupe, based in Jakarta.[5][7] She also collaborated in choreography with others, such as with Retno Maruti, the master of classical Javanese dances.[7]
Aside from dances, Bulantrisna also supported Indonesian film and film making with Balitaksu Foundation, and publishing art and children literature with Saritaksu Publications.[2]
