Bali Experience

While Balinese dance is often described as a traditional art form, with some of its most famous performances, such as the exquisitely graceful Legong, the haunting Gambuh and the eerie Calonarang still following forms established hundreds of years ago, Balinese dance is far from a static art. The Balinese delight in constantly creating new works, mixing the best of tradition with modern inspiration. The new dance you are lucky enough to witness tonight just might become the classic of tomorrow.

The spine-tingling sight and sound of a Kecak Dance is something that few visitors to Bali will ever forget. Kecak was actually inspired by two Westerners, the German patron of the arts Walter Spies and the American writer Katharine Mershon, who in the 1930s combined the chorus of the Sanhyang Dedari trance dance with a storyline from the Hindu epic tale of the Ramayana to create a thrilling new production. Today Kecak is performed by a group of upwards of a hundred bare-chested men, who sit in concentric circles around an oil lamp, chattering wildly like a forest full of monkeys in a complex rhythm that evokes a living gamelan orchestra. As their haunting chants rise and fall in a multilayered tapestry of sound, dancers enact the story of the beautiful princess Sita’s capture by the evil Ravana and her release through the bravery of Hanoman, the king of the monkeys, and his band of simian soldiers.

The Kebyar, or “lightning dance,” is another modern marvel, created in the 1920s by a dancer named Mario, who was famous as the most talented Balinese performance artist of this century. Mario combined movements from other dances to create a work that emphasized music, movement and emotion rather than the dramatic storylines of traditional dance drama. In the Kebyar, which is often performed sitting on the ground, a solo dancer gifted with awesome talent expresses the whole range of human emotions, moving with powerful grace to the rhythm of traditional gamelan music.

The Joged is unlike other Balinese dances in that it is performed solely as an entertainment, often to celebrate a successful harvest. It is a flirty, fun performance, where gorgeous young girls invite men from the audience - tourists are a favorite target - to share a sexy, slithering round of dancing. Wrapping a scarf around the waist of her partner/victim, the Joged dancer weaves a sensuous rhythm, teasing and bumping and slapping to the cheers of the raucous crowd.