Music, dance and drama are all closely related in Bali, in fact drama and dance are synonymous. The most important thing about Balinese dances, however, is that they’re fun and accessible. Balinese dances are not hard to find; there are dances virtually every night at all the tourist centers.
The Gamelan
Balinese music is based around an instrument known as the gamelan. The gamelan is such a central part of Balinese music that the whole ‘orchestra’ is also referred to as a gamelan. Gamelan music is almost completely percussion. Though it sounds strange at first with its noisy, jangly percussion it’s exciting and enjoyable.
Kecak dance
Probably the best known of the many Balinese dances, the Kecak is also unusual in that it does not have a gamelan accompaniment. Instead the background is provided by a chanting ‘choir’ of men who provide the ‘chak-a-chak-a-chak’ noise.
Tourists especially enjoy the performance staged by the Kecak dancers. This dance is also deeply rooted in local tradition and Indian mythology and is inspired by Ramayana, Kecak dance an epic poem written in Sanskrit. The dance brings to life the tale of King Rama, his wife Dewi Sita and his brother Laksamana who were exiled to the forest for 14 years following some complex scheming in a struggle for power.
In the forest, they are persecuted by Rahwana, the ogre king who then abducts Dewi Sita and makes her a prisoner of his palace on the Island of Lanka (Ceylon) . Rama strikes an alliance with the monkey people whose army defeats Rahwana’s troups, making it possible for King Rama to rescue his wife. In each Kecak performance, a hundred or so dancers play the monkey army while a few female dancers are assigned specific roles (Dewi Sita, Trijata). The performance generally lasts one hour and takes place in the evening, preferably around 7 PM.
Kris Dance
In the Barong play, Bali’s mythical guardian, Barong, battles Rangda, the demon - Queen. barong’s supporters are a group of Balinese men with the natural ability to enter a trance state. They are armed with a kris ( traditional sword).
Rangda insults Barong and taunts the men enraged and in a trance they attack her! But her powers are so strong that they are knocked out. When they so distressed by their failure, they try to impale themselves on their kris. But their trance state amazingly protects them from injury.
Legong dance
It’s the most graceful of Balinese dances. A legong dancer is known as young girl, often as young as eight or nine years, rarely older than her early teens. There are various forms of the Legong but the Legong Kraton is the one most often performed.
Baris dance
The warrior dance, known as the Baris, is traditionally a male equivalent of the Legong femininity and grace give way to energetic and warlike martial spirit.
Ramayana Ballet Basically, it tells the same story of Rama and Sita as told in the Kechak but without the monkey ensemble and with a normal gamelan gong accompaniment.
Kebyar dance
It’s a male solo dance like the Baris but with greater emphasis on the performer’s individual abilities. There are various forms of Kebyar including the Kebyar Duduk and Kebyar Trompong.
Barong Landung
The giant puppet dance take place annually on the island of Pulau Serangan and a few other places in southern Bali.
Janger
The Janger is a relatively new dance which suddenly popped up in the ’20s and ’30s. Today it has become part of the standard repertoire and no longer looks so unusual.
Topeng
A mask dance where the dancers have to imitate the character represented by mask. A full collection of Topeng masks may number 30 or 40. Topeng dance Closely liriked to religious ceremonies and processions, and danced as a ritual interval, the Topeng dance ultimately takes on a sacred connotation.
As a matter of fact, foreigners are allowed to see the dance only if they behave appropriately and respectfully. Actually, some performances are staged only for the benefit of the tourists, but do not enjoy the same following of the Barong and Kecak dances. Perticular components of the Topeng dance are the masks used to hide the faces of the dancers. Specific attributes are used, instead, to identify the characters (a mustache and thick eyebrows for the elder, arrogance and defiance for Patih, and so on). The rhythm of movements (perfectly in accordance to the age and role of the character) is underscored by a large orchestra, the garnelan, which is essential for the success of the performance.
Jauk
Also a mask dance but strictly a solo performance.
Pendet
It’s an everyday dance of the temples, a small procedure to go through before making temple offerings.
Sanghyang (Fire Dance) Dance
The Sanghyang trance dance originally developed to drive out evil spirits from a village. The Sanghyang Dedari dance is performed by two young girls who dance a dream-like version of the Legong but with their eyes closed. The Sanghyang Jaran, a boy dances around and through a fire, riding a coconut palm hobby-horse. In both dances, a priest is always on hand to help bring the dancers out of their trance -state at the end of the performance..
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Hi, you have a jolly good post here, thanks for the good read
Great post! Bali is such a wonderful destination.