Learning to Dance in Bali (1978) – dir. Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead.

10 min., b&w, no synch sound, but voice-over commentary in English by Margaret Mead

Source: ?

This is the only one of the seven films that Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead made in Bali and New Guinea in 1936-39  that does not form part of the Character Formation in  Different Cultures series. Though shot at the same time, it was released some 25 years later, and had a different editor. Whereas the other films were intensively focused on parent-child relationships, this film is mostly concerned with instruction given by professional dancers, notably by the then-celebrated dancer, Mario.

Text : Henley 2013a

© 2018 Paul Henley