ABSTRACT
Performance culture in Bali, at present and for the foreseeable future, faces many challenges. Tensions do exist, as they do in most parts of Asia, between those who embrace fully the incoming influences of globalisation and those who protect the present and past. Bali is not a stranger to outside influence and the present-day, rich tapestry of Balinese art and culture is composed of elements from Animism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, the Majapahit kingdom, China, Holland and India. History indicates waves of migration into the Indonesian archipelago from multiple origins involving numerous cultures, East and West. With multi-, cross-cultural artistic origins, Bali is in the middle of a rapidly changing and potentially difficult geopolitical situation and some are nervous about how this will develop. At the time of writing, Bali has already suffered a second bomb attack and tourism is again in a state of semi-collapse; it is not clear how long this will last. The Australian government warns its citizens (a major tourist source for Bali) not to visit and a number of other governments advise great caution. This could turn out to be a minor problem in a longterm context, but most Balinese believe that serious problems lie ahead.
