I Gusti  Agung Ngurah Supartha,  SST 

is  “one of Indonesia's  most   prominent

Balinese dancers” as well as a Balinese and

Javanese dance and gamelanmusic

instructor, other Indonesian dance styles     

instructor, puppeteer, well known

choreographer, composer and administrator

in both the arts and education.  One of  a 

family of artists,  he was born in 1943 at the

royal court ( Puri Agung   Buluh  Kenana )  at

Abiantuwung, Tabanan, Bali.  His ancestral 

name,  Anak Agung Gede  Rangda,  came 

from a  well known theatrical character

performed at the Barong Abiantuwung in

Tabanan when Bali was still a kingdom about

two hundred years  ago. He began his career

as a professional dancer when only five years

old.  His technical skills were further developed

by his father and under the legendary virtuoso

I Mario, among others. He attended   the  

Conservatory of Music, Dance, and Puppetry

(KOKAR) in  Bali and the Indonesian Institute of

Art in Yogyakarta. His wife and all of his children

dance and  play various  Gamelan musical

instruments.   He is credited  with more than

four  hundred  composition,   produced with

over thirty different musical ensembles, many

of which have been recorded  commercially

in  Bali.   Since  1995, he has been a member

of   the  international    composer association,

Board Music Incorporation (BMI), in New York

City.  He is the author of  Puspanjali,

 Introduction  to Indonesian  Dance, Dance

and Music in Bali,   Relationship  of   

Balinese Music and  Dance, numerous 

essays  and articles.

 

He  was  the Director  of   the  KOKAR  in  Bali,

where he was  responsible   for  directing  the

first government sponsored   program  of  the

Ramayana and Mahabharata dance-drama

epics,   each  involving  over    five   hundred 

artists. He was also Director of The Art  Center

(Taman Budaya)  in Denpasar,  the  President 

of  the  Wrhatnala  Center   for  Dance,  Music

and   Puppetry   as   well   as     the   Dean   of      

the  Faculty  of  Language,  Art, Dance, Music   

and  Drama  at   the  Balinese  Institute, which 

educates  teachers   (IKIP-PGRI Bali).   He was

the  leader    of    more    than   thirty   cultural

organization   in  Indonesia.      He    was    the

Assistant   to    the    Education   and  Cultural  

Attaches    of    the   Indonesian    Embassy  in

Washington,  DC   from  1988 -1996,  where he

promoted        Indonesian      culture       while

performing,  teaching and  arranging cultural

exchanges  between  the  United  States and

Indonesia.   Ngurah   Supartha(S’Partha )  has 

performed over one thousand performances  

and  played  over   one   hundred  roles  and   

characters   in   dance   and   dance-drama,

music and  puppetry repertoires. He  provides  

both  seminars  and  workshops  to   institution

and   universities.     He  is   also   a   sculptor,   

carver, painter  and crafter.  He has received   

over  one  hundred  performing   arts  awards   

from both   Indonesia   and   other   countries.   

His  talents have taken  him around the world   

on    cultural    missions,  to    include   several  

tours to  Europe, Asia, Africa, the Bahamas, and

United States..