A simple 2 x 3 meter cell in Hayam Wuruk street, Denpasar, remained the faithful home of Ni Ketut Reneng during the days leading up to her death at age 77 on September 7th 1993.  In front of her room there were two dilapidated chairs whose age could not have differed too much from miss Reneng's her self, when the writer visited her at the grand old age of 75.  Signs of her service to society graced the walls, their letters faded.  "Yes, that was for me, but for what 1 can't even read it any more." 

A journalist friend from Jakarta once wrote: Bali's dance is these days perfortned indiscriminately Many of its subtleties are lost.  "I often   cry  when I see the dancers of  today performing ... Oh, yes,  they dance in fine regalia  with glowing cheeksas though they've been boxed around the face ... but their dances are mediocre, powerless, and with no spirit. Empty ...... so explained Ni Reneng with a bitter smile.

'It will be most regret table indeed if this sacred dance intended for God's entertainment is not passed on  to the next generation." She continued, so concerned was she about the changes going on in the world of Balinese   dance. And it wasn't just the nostalgic raniblings of an old  woman high on romanticism;  it was more a deep concern from the heart and an empa  thy with what she had witnessed in recent  times.

She asked what was the use in dancers being orientated only towards commercialism. Everybody seemed to be learning to dance with a view to performing in the hotels  where the entire audience is Caucasian. They don't care whether the audience are actively interested in dance
or just watching as part of their dinner evening.

They say that every single classical dance move has a meaning which the dancer must be able to convey fully to the audience. For example the eyes that follow hand movements upwards and downwards are symbolic of a human being worship of God, and according to Reneng, the ability to covey   this does not come easily. A teacher can show the way in, but the student must enter by his or her self. "Because dance is a subtle combination of the movements of feeling, the body, and the spirit", said Reneng. The spirit and the body can only be fused through sublime mental and spiritual endeavor. This requires iron-fast commitment and faithfulness.

It's easy to understand then, why Renena rejects the idea of ceremonial dances. She refuses to accept the way Legong is fragmented so as to accord with the schedules of tourists or other audiences.  She even turned her nose up at the idea of fragments being performed for the entertainment of president Soekarno!

She pronounced these pessimistic words in 1991.   Before airing her views some time before her last public performance at the tenth   Bali Arts Festival in 1988, when she had said "I feel God sitting in the forefront of my mind.  From then I don't feel anything.  I just move. My body becomes light as a feather. 1 feel extremely beautiful and the audience are en-
chanted."

These two statements help us to forge an impression then, of Ni Reneng's individual commitment to her art.  She was a true, natural artist.   We know that most of Bali's great artists hail from the proletariat, and this is probably why they are able to maintain their aesthetic and sensitivity towards life.   It's as though they are on the edge of dream and reality.  Think of names like Tjokot, 1 Gede Geruh, 1 Gusti Nyoman Lempad,  Wayan Limbak, Ida Bagus Made Poleng, Kakul, all of whom lived as ordinary folk (even though they could never have been thought of as poor).    

At the same time, the participation in, and attention given to artists can be seen as unsatisfactory. Most artists acknowledge that they don't expect rewards in the form of certificates and trophies, but would rather prefer some human attention: some sympathy when they're sick, simply to gladden the heart of a lonely soul. In her twilight years Reneng continued to ponder the reality of what was happening to the world  of Balinese dance. Every time she was invited to  talk about dance, this beautiful dancer, who was also Le Mayeur's first model, always uttered the same words: "Quick, quick - fetch grandma's priceless costume, before death overcomes me. This classic dance is invaluable, and can't be bought by love nor money. Grandmother's soul will not rest until her children  have brought her her prized     possession..."              

"If you don't have enough time then you may as well not bother seeing me dance." Apparently the former president had asked her to dance for twenty minutes together with Ni Kunang at the presidential palace in Tampaksiring.  She agreed   to dance as long as no time limit was imposed.Finally the performance lasted for forty minutes, and the president was suitably impressed, she remembered.

Reneng was born in Kedaton, Denpasar as Ni Ketut Reneni, in 1916, into an ordinary family on the edge of poverty.  Her mother was Ni Wayan Sempok, and her father, a farmer, was I Wayan Mintar.

As soon as he saw the huge potential in the young Reneng, Ida Pedanda Kerta called on three dance experts to teach her Gambuh. These teachers were Salit Rengis, NyarikanSriada, and Anak Agung Ngurah Jambe. "These three were even stricter than Ida Pedanda Kerta".

Reneng's first dance teacher at Geria Punia was Ida Pedanda Kerta, a most strict and disciplined man.  "I studied from the age of six", she said.  "If I missed one step I was snarled at unremittingly... often cried as I danced, and because I was afraid,  I became clever. I drew marks on the ground to help me remember where to move, and followed these signs as 1 danced."

By the age of 1 1 she was already an amazing dancer, so much so that the Banjar Kedaton Legong club became famous.  She had already mastered almost all of the palegongan dances such as lxgong Playon, Lasem, Kuntir, Kuntul, Bapang, Jobog, Guak Macok, Condong and Legong Bawa.  And from that moment on she  was permitted to perform in the temples. Often this required a lengthy walk to the venue. She even travelled to Jakarta.

Disciplined training from a host of teachers matured Reneng into a true artist.  Besides her beauty and dancing skills, Reneng also became renowned for her integrity.  She would never compromise on principle.  This she proved when her family were obliged to offer her to the king as aconcubine.  Reneng rejected the move fiercely. Instead of the king, she married a drummer, 1 Made Kerontong, who was used to accompanying her when she danced.

Until the end, Reneng remained restless.  She was constantly concerned with keeping alive the classic dances she had mastered.  She was worried about the time in the future when Balinese people would have to study classical Balinese dances abroad.  "Many of my students are foreigners, and they re extremely attentive and diligent".
It's not so easy to find the likes of Ni Reneng amongst the ranks of today's dancers.  A simple attitude, and yet full of joic de vivre, and integrity, without thought of professional glory or reward.  Recently many new dancers have arrived on the scene, but few of them can liven the arts as a duty to society.  Tourism is now the main pull. not dancing in temples.