Taksu and Belief in the Imagination: Generating an Exceptional State of Awareness in the Actor

Abstract

This research journey, born from a profound artistic and spiritual awakening during an apprenticeship and immersion in Balinese Performing Arts Training, explores the intersection of Western actor training with Balinese practices. Through the lens of autoethnography and Practice as Research, it delves into a synthesis of these diverse methodologies and identifies the point of interconnection: the Balinese concept of taksu, a transformative energy in actor training. Using this concept, the work, as research and practice, seeks to expand the contemporary landscape of actor training, emphasizing the inclusivity and wholistic potential of spiritual, cross-cultural, and intercultural practices. I..