Bali Dance & Shadow Puppet Guide
Barong, Legong, Kecak, Fire Dance
Art is everywhere in Bali. From the intricate flower decorations
in a Barong dancer's headdress, to elaborately carved temple facades
and beautiful oil paintings. Bali's performing arts are also an
integral part of Balinese culture.
Music and dance play a huge part in significant rituals and religious
ceremonies. Known as " the Island of the Gods" hardly
a day goes by without a ceremony or festival taking place. Traditional
dances with full gamelan orchestras are performed for tourists daily
in addition to the day to day religious ceremonies. Definitely worth
seeing.
Barong Dance
The Barong is triumphant display of graceful movement and vibrant
colour. The dance is basically a contest between the opposing forces
of Rangda - chaos and destruction, and Barong - order. (Basically
good and evil.)
Performances
Suwung and Kesiman, in the suburbs of Denpasar.
Batubulan: Daily from 9:00 or 9:30 a.m.
Banjar Abasan, Singapadu: Daily from 9:30 a.m.
Puri Saren in Ubud: Fridays from 6:30 p.m.
Legong Dance
The Legong is a very difficult dance requiring great dexterity
and is generally performed by young girls. The dance is choreographed
to the finest detail, to a set pattern with no improvisation allowed.
Performances
Peliatan Stage, Friday from 6:30 p.m.
Pura Dalem & Puri Peliatan, Saturday from 6:30 p.m.
Pura Peliatan in Ubud, Sunday from 7:30 p.m.
Puri Saren, Ubud, Monday from 7:30 p.m.
Banjar Tegal, Kuta, Saturday and Tuesday from 8:00 p.m.
Kecak Dance
The kecak is a ritual dance which was created in the early 1930's
for the movie "Island of the Demons" by the German painter
and intellectual Walter Spies. The dance combines the chorus of
the "Sanghyang" trance dance with a dance story from the
epic "Ramayana."
It is extremely impressive with its circular chorus of sometimes
over 100 bare-chested male singers.
Performances
Arts Center, Denpasar, daily from 6:30 p.m.
Banjar Buni, Kuta, Sunday from 8 p.m.
Banjar Tegal, Ubud, Sunday from 6:00 p.m.
Fire Dance
This dance is an exorcism dance form against spirit possession,
where barefooted girls in trance dance among glowing coals.
Performances
Bona Kangin, Gianyar, Friday. Monday and Wednesday from 6:30
Bonasari, Gianyar, Friday, Monday and Wednesday from 7:00 p.m.
Batubulan, daily from 6:30 p.m.
Ramayana Dance
This highly entertaining dance form plays out the epic legends
of the Ramayana. There are occasional performances in Banjar Buni,
Kuta.
Shadow Puppets - Wayang Kulits
Wayang Kulit, is an Indonesian shadow puppet play,
which uses intricately made and beautifully painted, gilded leather
puppets. Although only the puppets' shadows are seen by the audience,
the performances are fascinating. The stories told by shadows are
often from the spirit world and are full of symbolism and mysticism.
A single, highly skilled puppeteer controls hundreds of puppets;
plays out the roles of different characters with a different voice
for each character; and leads the traditional musicians.
Wayang kulit plays can play for several hours or be several days
long.
Performances
Popular performances are at Banjar Buni, Kuta, every Monday and
Thursday 8:00 p.m.
Oka Kartini, Tebesaya, Peliatan, Ubud, on Saturdays from 8:00 p.m.
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