An Italian woman who went viral last month for offering workshops centered on Balinese dance and rituals was deported yesterday evening after the authorities found out that she had misused her investor visa.
The investor visa grants individuals permission to stay in Indonesia for a period of time but does not give them the right to to work for local companies or offer commercial services within Indonesia.
Reports say the 38-year-old Italian woman, whose initials are AVC, was taken into custody by the Denpasar Immigration Office on March 12 after her video offering Balinese dance classes went viral on social media.
Authorities noted that AVC was open and cooperative during the investigation.
“She said that she taught the dance not at a particular place but in an open environment such as by the beach. The participants are only two and three people,” said Denpasar Immigration Office’s intelligence and enforcement chief Iqbal Rifai, citing that AVC maintained she had never forced anyone to join her class.
AVC reportedly graduated from Yogyakarta’s Indonesian University of Arts with a dance major.
She was in the spotlight last month after it was reported that, in addition to commercializing Balinese dance, she had also worked as a tour guide and taught sacred Balinese rituals that are only led by respected Balinese Hindu priests like Jero Mangku.
Coconuts Bali has reached out to AVC for comments.
