How

After declared independent, Indonesia had to deal with the question of its national identity. It was pertaining to the debate on the national culture, particularly arts. As Indonesia had diverse traditional arts, the debate was a dilemma. Many people disagreed if the traditional arts became the national identity. Meanwhile, Indonesian traditional arts, especially Javanese and Balinese ones, had been appreciated abroad. During Sukarno's regime, Indonesia sent several art missions to present itself to the world. They performed mostly traditional arts from several regions, including Java and Bali. By employing the historical method, this study aims to discuss Javanese and Balinese performing arts shows in the United States. It is of importance that from 1950s to 1960s, Indonesia had to adapt to the Cold War, which forced the developing countries to choose the Western or Eastern bloc in their foreign policy. Until the beginning of the 1960s, Indonesia tended to be with the Eastern bloc. Subsequently, there was a tendency to be with the other bloc. Therefore, in this article the response to the Javanese and Balinese performing arts shows in the US after two eras was analyze.

companies to make investments in Indonesia. Amid the reciprocal relations, Javanese and Balinese performing arts were performed in the US.
The relations between Indonesia and the US have been studied by international relations and history scholars. Most of the studies have focused on the political and economic aspects of those two countries. For example, Wardaya's analysis (2012) only takes account of the ups and downs in Indonesia-US relations during the administration of Sukarno. He was suspected of being a communist because of his firm anti-imperialism stance. Soekarno's policy was associated with his personality and background as a Javanese. The first president's political thought and stance were profoundly influenced Javanese culture and tradition. The Javanese culture influenced Sukarno's thought not only on domestic issues, but also global ones, including relations with the US (Wardaya, 2012(Wardaya, , pp. 1051(Wardaya, -1061. Similarly, the research conducted by Murphy (2010) is unsatisfactory as it examines US political and economic interests in Indonesia and its view on Indonesia's potential. Indonesia is deemed able to cooperate in enhancing its people's welfare. In terms of Indonesian performing arts shows abroad, studies have been conducted by Lindsay (2011) and Cohen (2019). Lindsay (2011) has addressed performing arts shows by Indonesian art missions in numerous countries during Sukarno's period. He emphasizes that those missions were sent abroad to show Indonesia's presence in the global politics. On the other hand, Cohen (2019) has focused on arts as a manifestation or part of cultural diplomacy. Nonetheless, Lindsay and Cohen have not focused on a particular country or art performed.
As there is little published data on the two fundamental problems above, i.e. the national identity and Indonesia-US reciprocal relations, this study provides new insights into Javanese and Balinese performing arts in the US. It is of interest because of two paradoxes. Amid the struggle for the national identity, traditional arts from regions in Indonesia received a mixed reaction. However, Javanese and Balinese performing arts were exhibited more frequently in the US and won acclaim, making Indonesia better known. They continued to be performed in spite of the ups and downs in the relations between both countries. This study aims to analyze how Javanese and Balinese performing arts were initially performed in the US, how the public responded to them, and why they acclaimed those arts. It is of importance to discuss the first interactions between the public in the US and Javanese and Balinese performing arts to construct a whole narrative and facilitate the analysis.

Method
This article was prepared according to the historical method. The critical historical method is a systematic set of principles and rules to assist effectively in collecting historical sources, critically assessing and then presenting a synthesis of the results in the form of scientific historical writing (Garaghan, 1957, p. 33). Most of the sources are articles in newspapers from the same period. The newspapers were all published in the US. For instances The Times, The Courier, The Sacramento Bee, Oakland Tribune, The San Francisco Examiner, etc. The newspapers are mostly from the US. The author chose newspapers published by the US to obtain information about Javanese and Balinese traditional performing arts performances there. The benefit of this approach is that they reflect the situations at that time. Moreover, some events are described in detail.
To explain the context and analyze matters not mentioned in the sources from the same period, the latest journal articles and relevant books were referred.

Javanese and Balinese Performing Arts in the US: Early Encounters
Javanese and Balinese performing arts have existed in the US from way back. At the end of the 19th century, the National Museum, Washington got rod and leather puppets as Christmas presents. As reported by The San Francisco Call and Portland Daily Press, they were believed to originate from Java, which was under the rule of Dutch East Indies. The puppets looked scary, but there was painting which resembled glamorous clothing on their surface. Their various forms captured public attention in the US. Nevertheless, both The San Francisco Call and Portland Daily Press did not provide information on who gave the puppets ("Curious Javanese Puppets," 1898, p. 20; Bache, 1898).
In addition to the wayang kulit purwa (shadow puppets), those articles looked into traditional performing arts in Java. It was said that Java had a performing art resembling pantomime. The art had developed for centuries and constituted Javanese intellectual property (Bache, 1898, p. 3). Hence, Java is known to be the oldest home to pantomime. The art was called pantomime as there were no dialogue between the performers and they merely danced to the music played by 5-10 musicians. They played percussion instruments, mostly made of bronze. Meanwhile, the dialogue was read by a man sitting in front of those musicians and represented the storyline. On the right side of the man was a wooden box occasionally knocked using a wooden mallet. However, the articles did not contain the art's name. From the features mentioned, the art was probably wayang wong dance. Furthermore, the man reading the storyline was the dhalang (puppeteer).
Eight years after Portland Daily News published an article about Javanese arts, Waterbury Evening Democrat released an article about Javanese and Balinese dances. The article, the title of which is "Dancers of Java", was written based the experiences of several American people during their visits in Java and Bali. They were interested in topeng (mask) dance and wayang wong dance ("Dancers of Java," 1907).
In the 1930s, Devi Dja, a Javanese dancer, performed Javanese and Balinese dances in the US. She joined Dardanella touring theater company in the Dutch East Indies. Devi Dja embarked on a world tour which was ended in the US. After she joined, Dardanella always performed Javanese and Balinese dances. One of her most interesting performances in the US was delivered in Manhattan on 3-4 January 1940. Devi Dja performed ketjak dance accompanied by Balinese gamelan. The performance in Manhattan was one of 12 shows run in New York and all of them were appreciated by the public there ("Javanese Dancers Welcomed Warmly by New York," 1940).
In the subsequent era, or after the decolonization, Java become the parts of Indonesia. According to Brandon, Indonesia and Thailand are two Southeast Asian countries with positive development of performing arts. Further, of the thousand islands in Indonesia, Java and Bali are the center of the oldest performing arts (Brandon, 1974, pp. 42-44). Hence, Javanese and Balinese performing arts were exhibited abroad amid the debate over traditional arts which were not deemed to represent Indonesia. Beside shows initiated by the government of Indonesia through art missions, there was interest in learning Javanese and Balinese performing arts in higher education in the US. Several Javanese performing arts include: gamelan, wayang kulit purwa, wayang wong, and dances. Meanwhile, Balinese performing arts are gamelan, wayang, legong and topeng dances, etc.

The Development of Javanese and Balinese Performing Arts Learning Centers in the US
The first university in the US showing an interest in Javanese and Balinese performing arts is the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). The performing arts were introduced by Mantle Hood, an ethnomusicologist who initially learned Javanese gamelan. He began to know gamelan when pursuing his doctoral degree in the Netherlands. He studied under another ethnomusicologist, Jaap Kunst. After finishing his dissertation, Mantle Hood taught at UCLA. Around 1954, he brought Javanese gamelan to UCLA and founded the Gamelan Study Group, comprised of 15 students ("UCLA Group," 1956). Two years later, he received the Fullbright Fellowship. Funded by the Ford Foundation, Mantle Hood deepend his knowledge and skills in Java and Bali ("UCLA Music," 1956). Meanwhile, the Javanese gamelan group was designated as an extracurricular activity. The group was known as Udan Mas.
Prior to its fifth anniversary, Udan Mas had performed in several events. One of them was the Javanese dance performance by Djoko Sanjoto and his wife at Magnolia School Auditorium, River-side on 8 November 1956 ("News of The Island Empire," 1956). He was the Cultural Attache at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) He learned to dance since his childhood and performed in numerous events in Indonesia, Singapore, and the US. Djoko Sanjoto's presence in the concerts of Udan Mas showed the attention paid by the Indonesian government to Indonesian traditional arts in the US despite the group's status under the UCLA. Not only performed, did he also train Udan Mas ("Java Concert Toninght," 1956 California Institute of the Arts also developed Javanese and Balinese performing arts learning. The prominent figure was a Mantle Hood's student. Moreover, Javanese and Balinese gamelan was taught at the University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley) ("An Outsider Peeks in on CalArts," 1978). As gamelan learning centers were founded, in 1964, the Indonesian government sent a set of Javanese and Balinese gamelan to a pavilion at the New York World's Fair. The gamelan was placed in a spacious dedicated room. As the interior designer, President Sukarno tried to show Indonesian rich and diverse culture. However, in March 1965 the gamelan was not at the New York World's Fair owing to Indonesia's confrontation with Malaysia. The support the US gave to Malaysia had an impact on the gamelan. As a consequence, the gamelan was sold. Wesleyan University bought a set of Javanese gamelan and the University of Michigan bought another set of Javanese gamelan. Meanwhile, a set of Balinese gamelan was bought by Caroll Music (Hatch, 2008: 6). Based on the information, it can be known that Javanese gamelan has been taught at Wesleyan University and the University of Michigan since the mid-1960s.
Javanese and Balinese performing arts were also learned on the east coast of the US, including at Cornell University. There, a gamelan group was founded in 1972, initiated by Martin Hatch. He was a PhD student of the Cornell's Modern Indonesia Project (CIMP). Upon arriving at the Cornell University campus, he saw a spacious room with gamelan inside it. The gamelan was property of Harrison Parker (a Cornell University alumnus having worked in Indonesia) and played occasionally as a part of entertainment in activities conducted by the Southeast Asia Program (SEAP). Ben Anderson was central to the group. He played gender, which he had learned in Java. Beside Ben Anderson, two linguistics students from Yogyakarta, Supomo Poedjosoedarmo and Subandi Djajengwasito, joined that grup (Hatch, 2008, p. 6).
As a musicology student, Martin Hatch proposed his plan to establish an official gamelan study group to the department head. The proposal was approved. In the summer of 1972, Cornell Gamelan Ensemble was founded (Hatch, 2008, p. 6). Six years later, Cornell University got a complete set of Javanese gamelan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on long term loan as the present from the Indonesian government. In 1980, gamelan was included in the curriculum of Cornell University and performed twice in a semester at Barness Hall or Arts Quad (Kahin, 2020, pp. 65-66).
Moreover, dance groups or Javanese and Balinese gamelan groups periodically came to universities to run shows and workshops. In collaboration with the Music Department dan Arts College, SEAP sponsored activities involving Cornell University students and Indonesian artists. Visiting Group, museum exhibitions, and traditional dance performances were integral to SEAP missions at Cornell University (Kahin, 2020, pp. 65-66). In the 1970s, the University of Hawaii also opened Javanese gamelan studies. In 1970, Hardja Susilo bought a set of Javanese gamelan from Yogyakarta to support the studies. Since then, Javanese gamelan has been taught at the University of Hawaii (Diamond, 1984, pp. 4-19).
In terms of Javanese and Balinese performing arts venues, KBRI and the Consulates General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI), as the representatives of Indonesia, may not be forgotten. Based on the information collected, KJRI staged arts shows i.e. Javanese and Balinese classical dances, accompanied by Javanese gamelanon a monthly basis Sometimes, KJRI run wayang kulit purwa performances ("Javanese Dance," 1986, p. 3). Activities pertaining to gamelan at KBRI were better recorded. Furthermore, KBRI has the cultural attache responsible for promoting culture through arts. Beside routine rehearsal, Javanese and Balinese gamelan at KBRI were played routinely. In major events, gamelan and dances were performed when the Ambassador of RI delivered speech or visited numerous parts of the US. If gamelan could not be brought, only the dancers joined. For instance, on 31 May 1967, two talented dancers from Indonesia, Ninuk Suhartini and Moeljadi, joined Ambassador Suwito Kusumowidagdo when visiting J. Frank Faust Junior High School to deliver speech. They performed Bambangan Cakil dance (Arjuna and Cakil dance) Suhartini played as Arjuna, and Moeljadi as Buta Cakil. Their performance was accompanied by a recording made by the KBRI Javanese gamelan group ("Native Dancers to Perform Here," 1967).
Besides, the KBRI gamelan and dance groups performed at Indonesian festivals organized by KBRI, KJRI, or the other hosts. The festivals were effective in promoting Indonesia (Ritter, 1969). The wayang kulit purwa show held every month at KBRI Washington attracted public attention in the US ("Buffalo-Hide," 1980). Javanese and Balinese performing arts developed in the US as centers for Asian, Southeast Asian, and even Indonesian studies, were established, for instance Asian Studies, South East Asian Studies (SEAP) and Indonesian Project at Cornell University with its Cornell's Modern Indonesia Project (CMIP).
Javanese and Balinese performing arts shows were also supported by the Indonesian artists sent to the US. They were sent to, among others, to pursue their education and teach gamelan, dances, and the other Javanese and Balinese performing arts. Many Indonesian artists were involved in a program called Artist in Residence. During the Old Older, several artists were sent to the US. More artists were sent there by the New Order.
During the Old Order, Wasisto Surjodiningrat and Hardja Susilo were sent to the US ("Folk Dance Festival Features 20 Nations," 19 March 1965). Their departure for the US was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1958. In addition to studying at the Music Department of UCLA, they were involved in workshops on gamelan in museums, schools, and campuses in the US. They were to be the influential pioneers in the development of Javanese gamelan in the US. Since 1960, UCLA helped other universities in the US, such as Wesleyan University, the University of Hawaii, the University of Michigan, etc develop ethnomusicology learning programs. Hardja Susilo and Wasisto Surjodiningrat were involved in the technical aspect as the universities decided to develop Javanese gamelan (Witzleben, 2020, pp. 135-166). Hardja Susilo became an assistant professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Hawaii in 1970. Since then, Hardja Susilo began to teach Javanese gamelan at the University of Hawaii. Meanwhile, his wife, Judy Mitona, a Javanese and Balinese dancer, also taught at the University of Hawaii.
There were more artists involved in Artist in Residence during the New Order regime. They are I Made and Swasthi Bandem, Sumarsam and Urip Sri Maeny, Wasitodipuro, Soedarsono, and I.M. Harjito. They landed in the US in the end of the 1960s. In the next period, i.e. from the 1970s to 1980s, several Javanese and Balinese gamelan and dance teachers from Indonesia were known. They are I Wayan Dibia, I Nyoman Wenten and Nanik Wenten, Midiyanto, Joko Sutrisno, etc. The participants of Artist in Residence learned in the US, mostly funded by Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation. Later, they played an active role in the missions sent by the Indonesian Government.

Budaya Troupe in the US
In the end of the 1960s, the Department of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia sent an art mission to the US. They were the best Javanese and Balinese artists sent to go on tour in the US. A story depicting the atmosphere of the performance was published on 5 October 1969. The Javanese gamelan sound familiar to the people of California echoed at the University of California, Davis. There was something special in the show. On the stage, someone performed difficult moves, in tune with the sound of gamelan. He is Sardono, playing as Rahwana. Afterwards, a female dancer appeared as Sinta, followed by Rama, played by a dancer named Wayan Rindi, while Ketut Sukarni played as Sinta. At that time, Ketut Sukarni was 17 years old. Ketut Sukarni performed legong dance with other very young dancers, accompanied by gamelan legong. Their performance had been anticipated since the beginning of the rainy season in the end of 1960s.
In September 1969, several media in the US, i.e. The Times, The Courier, The Sacramento Bee, Oakland Tribune, The San Francisco Examiner, etc reported that the Department of Education and Culture of RI was going to send 16 finest artists to the US. The troupe consisted of dancers and gamelan players ("Indonesia Dancers Show Charm," 1969). Americans called them Budaya Troupe. The dance group was led by Wayan Rindi, while the gamelan was led by Wasitodipuro ("Budaya Troupe Dancers," 1969). Adi Darminto and Taryana were also in the troupe ("Indonesian troupe," 1969). The first performance was staged at Veterans' Auditorium, San Francisco on 4 October 1969 ("Indonesian Dancers," 1969). However, cited from a source, Budaya Troupe had performed on channelnine in the US before going on tour. The show was aired on 17 September by WMVS-TV (Educational) at 8 p.m. ("Television Schedule," 1970). Budaya Troupe had set a show schedule prior to leaving for the US, but they received many invitations to perform during their tour, including from Paul Cracroft, the University of Utah. He thought that he had to invite Budaya Troupe to perform, as their performance was stunning (Lundstrom, 1969 " 1969). There were many more performances of Budaya Troupe. All of them left lasting impressions, as said by the people of Hudson Valley. They felt deeply indebted to Vassar College for inviting the stunning performers ("Hindu Epic Makes for Fantastic Entertainment at Vassar," 1969).
Budaya Troupe, sent in the end of the 1960s, really left positive impressions. Due to the success of Budaya Troupe in 1969, the government sent Budaya Troupe to the US again in the early 1970s. The Department of Education and Culture of RI sent another art mission to go on tour in the US. However, it was slightly different from Budaya Troupe. The artists in Budaya Troupe were sent from Indonesia, but the artists in this mission were already in the US. The group is Widjaja Dance Company, led by I Made Bandem (Rockwell, 1970).
The first performance of Widjaja Dance Company upon the request of the Department of Education and Culture of RI was on 22 June 1970. The group led by I Made Bandem performed at the Mark Taper Forum with Irwin Parnes as the producer. The first performance was decisive. If they could satisfy the audiences, they would be able to perform at the Mark Taper Forum several times. Beside Widjaja Dance Company, several participants of Artists in Recidence from Indonesia working at the Institute of Ethnomusicology of UCLA performed that night (Rockwell, 1970).
Widjaja Dance Company performed before the art group from Hollywoodish. Indonesian arts, i.e. dances, performing arts, and music, were performed before the break. At first, the audiences did not seem satisfied. They talked about the stunning performance of Budaya Troupe. Luckily, in the end I Made Bandem saved the show that night. Swasthi Bandem played as Sita and Ratna Setiawati as Rama, making the audiences transfixed. Their performance was supported by I Made Bandem's agile move as Hanuman. On that night, a nationwide tour in the US was begun (Rockwell, 1970).
In October 1973, the Department of Education and Culture of RI sent I Made Bandem in another art mission. He was trusted in leading a topeng dance company. They went on tour in the US for almost one year. They did not only perform, but also taught dances. The enthusiasm of the public in the US meant that the Indonesian government was successful in promoting Indonesia ("Freshmen Get Lessons," 1978 The event initiated by the Department of Education and Culture inspired KBRI in the US to organize such event. Javanese and Balinese gamelan groups from KBRI performed in a massive formation with the gamelan group and participants from Artist in Residence in several universities. Below are Javanese and Balinese performing arts shows initiated by KBRI and reported by media. In addition, KBRI held routine rehearsals and shows of Javanese and Balinese gamelan and dances. KBRI also held a wayang kulit purwa show once a month. KBRI performed gamelan angklung and Javanese gamelan at Fine Arts Recital Hall on 6 May 1978. The show was organized in collaboration with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The open performances and concerts were staged at least once in a semester. Another performance was staged at Walters Arts Gallery from March to April 1980. Javanese gamelan was played to accompany a wayang kulit purwa show on 27 April. Previously, I Made Bandem had performed with Swasthi Bandem to represent KBRI on 23 March. Both of them performed topeng and kebyar dances. The festival of Explorations in the Walters was a part of the National Endowment for the Humanities Learning Museum Program (grants for humanities education) ("Exploring Eastern Culture at Walters," 1980). The next performance, including Balinese gamelan, was reported by international media. The show was staged at Wind Gap School Auditorium on 19 May 1984. It was a part of a seminar organized in collaboration between KBRI and Slate Belt Performing Arts Council ("Gamelan Performance Planned in Wind Gap," 1984).

Responses from Mass Media
Despite the ups and downs in the relations between Indonesia and the US in the mid-1950s, Indonesian culture, represented by Javanese gamelan, was warmly welcomed. It can be seen in the Javanese gamelan concert and Balinese cultural exhibition organized by Mantle Hood and his students at Church of Hollywood. At the same time, a discussion was held in the opening of Javanese Music Program at UCLA ("UCLA Group Plans Javanese Music Program," 1956, p. 11). Moreover, Javanese gamelan concerts organized by UCLA, as mentioned earlier, showed that Javanese gamelan was genuinely appreciated in the US.
A token of appreciation for Javanese and Balinese performing arts was shown in an article titled "Indonesian Make Plans to Expand Tourist Trade". It said that Indonesia had a variety of exotic traditional performing arts which could attract foreign tourists. The arts mentioned are legong, srimpi, gamelan, and wayang (Kim, 1957, p. 13). According to Yong Hyum Kim, traditional arts are property.
On the other hand, Goldberg expresses his opinion on Javanese gamelan teaching programs into an article "Unique Oriental Music Courses at UCLA". The title is a token of appreciation for Javanese gamelan. In summary, he outlines the Javanese gamelan teaching programs offered by UCLA. He also mentions Balinese performing arts (Goldberg, 1959, p. 5). In the next decade, particularly in the end of 1969, several