INTERNATIONAL ARTIST RESIDENCY
VILLA WALDBERTA MUNICH
Aafke de Jong and composer of contemporary gamelan music Iwan Gunawan (Bandung, Indonesia) were invited by the City of Munich to stay at International Artist Residence Villa Waldberta in München, Germany). This to create a new work ('GONG') for the Internationales Gamelan Musikfestival München organised by the Münchner Stadtmuseum in 2018. During their stay at Gunawan and De Jong were fascinated by the question of how could the resonance of gong-like instruments create a sense of infinity amongst dancers, musicians and audience?
In collaboration with Iwanson International School of Contemporary Dance we were able to organise an audition, for which we are very grateful.
During the auditions participants joined a workshop in traditional Balinese dance, guided by Aafke de Jong and musically accompanied by Balinese musician and composer Made Arnawa (also a resident of Villa Waldberta at the time) and musician, ethomusicologist and head of Music Department of Münchner Stadtmuseum, Andras Varsanyi.

Rehearsals and presentation of residency @ Villa Waldberta / Muenchner Stadmuseum/Germany 2018 with Iwan Gunawan

Rehearsals and presentation of residency @ Villa Waldberta / Muenchner Stadmuseum/Germany 2018 with Iwan Gunawan

Rehearsals and presentation of residency @ Villa Waldberta / Muenchner Stadmuseum/Germany 2018 with Iwan Gunawan

Rehearsals and presentation of residency @ Villa Waldberta / Muenchner Stadmuseum/Germany 2018 with Iwan Gunawan

Audition for GONG at Iwanson School of Contemporary Dance in Munich Germany
During the symposium at the Internationales Gamelan Musikfestival München both Gunawan and De Jong gave a presentation about their work.
The preparations during the residency were a prelude to a new piece named 'GONG'.
You can read and see here more about this project

Villa Waldberta in Feldafing, Munich, Germany

Lecture at Iwanson School of Contemporary Dance in Munich and presentation at the Munchner Stadtmuseum
Aafke also gave a lecture for the students of Iwanson School of Contemporary Dance about Balinese dance and how she used this as a source of inspiration.
"When we (artists from Indonesian and Dutch backgrounds) work together it is not even necessary to talk directly about our shared colonial history (when we feel like it we do so anyway), because we understand each other on a different level. It is through our art that we can communicate and strive towards a more open and inclusive future in general."
- Aafke during a lecture at Iwanson School of Contemporary Dance in München, Germany 2017

Showing of choreographic process in the Münchner Stadtmuseum