Cristina Wistari (Italy/Bali) was a performer who lived in Bali, studying classical Balinese dance for thirty years. In 1993 she started the Gambuh Project with the aim of preserving the most ancient dance form in Bali. She regularly performed Gambuh and Topeng in the temple festivals in Bali as well as leading workshops and performing abroad. In 2000 she published the book Gambuh. Cristina first came to an ISTA in 1995 collaborating closely until her death in 2008.
Cristina Wistari describes vocal work in Balinese dance theatre with examples of her training with I Made Djimat and Ni Nyoman Candri, confronting questions of song and spoken text, of ancient and contemporary language in arja, topeng and gambuh.