“Without the flame, the candle has no purpose. It’s merely a lump of cold wax.”

“Without spirit, a story cannot live. By giving a piece of ourselves, the story finds its purpose.”

As the world goes virtual, NCT is doing something new — and for this project, we’re letting the concept of Taksu guide us. If you’re a musician, have an interest in puppeteering, or just have a rhythm within you that needs to find its way out, get involved with the NCT Shadow Project.

The Balinese Tradition

Bali, an island nation in Indonesia, is a land rich in artistic tradition. Every village has its own unique form of performance — its own way to tell the story. To be born in Bali is to be born into a line of artists, ready to tell the stories passed down by their ancestors. Indeed, every child trains in their village’s form of performance as soon as they can stand. The forms vary widely, ranging from masked theatre reminiscent of Italian Renaissance commedia, to elaborate dances where Hindu priests guide young women into a trance.

While living and studying in Bali, I closely studied a form of puppetry called Wayang Kulit. It is one of the most sacred forms of performance and required many hours in Hindu temples to understand its context. The ornately made puppets are never shown directly — the audience only ever sees their shadows. As stories unfold, words become less important, replaced by the language of music. An orchestra called the Gamelan provides the layered rhythms that drive the performance. Even without knowing the language or stories, one can leave with a clear understanding of what was witnessed.

About the Shadow Project

For the NCT Shadow Project, we plan to embrace these philosophies of Balinese performance. We’ll train in Wayang Kulit and adapt its techniques to tell our own stories. Spoken word will be minimal. Instead, we’ll build our own Gamelan-style orchestra, filled with rhythmic people ready to make music with any object that produces an interesting sound.

I’m partnering with Paul Muncy, a former drum corps commander and talented musician, to develop this unique form of storytelling with our Gamelan and puppeteers.

I encourage you to take part. We plan to rehearse once a week and give performances whenever possible. Safety is a priority — all activities will follow CDC recommendations.