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OFFERING DANCES: Pendet, Penyembrama, Gabor, Puspanjali, Sekar Jagat All of these are dances of welcome, originating in an offering to the gods,welcoming them as they descend into the shrines prepared for them by the members of the temple. Since the l960s, this dance has been secularized and is now performed to welcome more human audiences. The dancers will often mimic praying with flowers and throw out flower petals to the audience as a salutation.

Baris: the warrior dance is the first dance a young boy usually learns. Extremely demanding in its execution, the dancer must raise his shoulders and elbows high up and keep the energy going strong for a full fifteen minutes. This dance is done in three parts, all of which show off the prowess of a young warrior. He scouts out the space, checking for enemies and his quick steps with his out turned legs display his strength and agility. This is a semi-improvised dance and the musicians must follow the dancer’s moves carefully.

Legong Kraton was the first dance learned by young girls as it embodies all the basic movements of the other dances. Yet it is quite demanding (the older styles can be up to an hour long) and is now one of the more advanced forms learned in the dance sanggar. The Legong that you will invariably see (and there are nearly twenty different types of Legong dances) is called Legong Lasem. It begins with the solo dance of the condong or maidservant who mimes the shaking of the dance curtain and then proceeds to pick up the two small fans on the ground in front of her. She dances with these fans and then turns upstage to face the two legong dancers who perform in unison. Their beginning dance is one of abstraction. After the condong leaves the stage, the two legong then begin to tell the story of Princess Langkesari and King Lasem. The princess is lost in the King’s forests. While out hunting, he sees her and takes her home with the wish that she will become his wife. She refuses his advances and he locks her up in a tower. Hearing of her abduction, her family decides to wage battle against King Lasem. But first they send a bird of ill omen (performed by the condong) to warn the King of his impending death. You see them fight but the death of the king is not portrayed on stage.

Legong is the quintescence of feminity in Balinese dance. With its’ crowns of gilded leather sporting tiny trees of frangipangi flowers which quiver with every movement, it is delicate and strong at the same time. Its roots lie in the Sanghyang Dedari trance ritual, where only pre-pubescent or non-polluted by menstruation and sexual activity girls dance for the gods. Up until the l980s one could find many young girls doing Legong , today it is mostly done by young women. This is partially due to the intense training it takes to do this dance well.

Barong –this mythical creature with its lion type head and shaggy fur made out of a type of grass (prasot) is a delight to watch. Two men dance him, one at the head, who is the front legs and one at the back, who is the hind legs. The costume itself weighs about 70 kilos and takes great skill and strength to handle. The Barong is the protector of the village and with his counterpart, Rangda the witch they make up the worlds of white and black magic, respectively. Their masks are kept in the temple, where they are routinely blessed and given offerings.

The Barong Dance usually seen by visitors in Batubulan depicts an episode from the the ancient Indian tale, the Mahabharata. The Balinese prefer the story of Calonarang which tells the true story of a Balinese prince who married an East Javanese princess who became a witch and tried to destroy the kingdom. In both stories, there is the classic fight between good and evil but here neither side wins, rather a balance is struck between the two to be re-enacted again and again at rituals. At the end of the dance, the villagers often go into a state of trance when they see that their Barong is in danger and they will rush the Rangda and stab her with their kris (dagger). She overpowers them and they stab themselves, only to be brought out of their altered state by holy water which has the Barongs beard dipped in it.

Topeng is a form of mask dance and actually means “pressed against the face”. The full performance of this is danced by five men who are constantly changing masks to portray different characters. This is one form where the story is of Balinese and not Indian origins, depicting the life and rituals of Balinese royalty throughout the ages. What you are most likely to see is the dance of the old prime minister (Topeng Tua) who remembers how he used to dance in his glorious youth or the young prime minister (Topeng Keras) with his red or brown mask, who shows off his prowess as the king’s assistant.

Kecak is a form which has its origin in the Sanghyang trance ritual. A form of “mouth music”, the performers sing the different parts of the gamelan orchestra to accompany the dancers. Up to l50 men sit in concentric circles around an oil lamp tree. At a signal they begin to chant the word “cak” in multiple, counterpunctual rhythms. This hypnotic chanting is conducive to induce trance but does not produce it in the members of the cak chorus. The actual Sanghyang rituals are few and far between today; in the l930s a new form of this chorus was created in the village of Bedahulu by the local dancers and Walter Spies, a German painter who served as a consultant. Today it is performed all over the island as a tourist attraction. It is one of the more spectacular forms of Balinese music which accompanies the Ramayana ballet.

Kebyar dances. In l915, a new form of music called kebyar swept North Bali. Prior to this time, the gamelan tunes had been more stately and monotone. At the turn of the century, the older orchestras were melted down (their keys are made of bronze) and reforged into what are now the most popular gamelans on the island: kebyar. This new music became known for its speed (and indeed, kebyar means lightning) and interlocking rhythms and expressiveness of emotions. New dances were created to complement it. The ones you are most likely to see today includeOleg Tambulilingan (Bumblebee dance where two bumblebees flirt with each other in a garden), Taruna Jaya (Victorious Youth where a young woman portrays the many moods of youth), Kebyar Duduk (a dance done while seated on the ground by a solo male) and Kebyar Trompong (a young man will play an instrument of inverted kettle gongs called a trompong and intersperse his playing with movements utilizing a dance fan).

These dances are known for changes in mood and expression in the dancer’s face, quick transitions from one movement to another and a very high level of energy. Most of Balinese dances today are choreographed in the kebyar style.

In the l980s, a spate of bird dances appeared. These pretty numbers are danced by a number of young women in long, trailing costumes with wings. Cendrawasih portrays two birds of paradise while Belibis shows a flock of wild ducks. The movements are reminiscent of flying and grooming and are quite lovely to watch.

The boys also wanted dances that were not as strenuous to perform and which had some humor in them. Gopala is a dance about cowherders and is often one of the first dances learned by young boys. Satya Brasta tells the story of a battle from the Mahabharata and uses oversized umbrellas and fans as props to very cleverly construct the chariot.

The Ramayana Ballet is the shortened version of what is called Sendratari, a form of dance-drama where the dancers mime their actions and do not speak their parts. There is a dalang or storyteller who sits with the musicians who sings or speaks every role. The Ramayana Ballet grew out of this type of dance-drama in the l960s and can be found at many tourist venues today. The basic story is of King Rama, his wife Queen Sita and Rama’s younger brother Laksmana, all of whom have been banished to the forest. There Sita spies a golden deer who is actually a demon in disguise, used as a ploy to entice Sita away. It works and she is kidnapped by the demon-king Rahwana and taken to him island kingdom. Rama and Laksmana enlist the help of the monkey commander, Hanoman to rescue Sita.

Joged Bumbung is the only “social” dance on the island. Named after the bamboo tubes (bumbung) of the orchestra, this lively form is quite popular among Balinese and visitors alike. Four to five dancers will enter the stage space, one at a time, dance with their fan and then go into the audience and then tap one of them on the shoulder. He or she is then obliged to dance with her. The object of the dance is to have fun, and to perhaps grab onto the dancer’s waist sash, although today there are more “erotic” forms.

These are only a few of the myriad dances that are performed in Bali today. You can see these dances at your hotel, at other tourist venues throughout the island, or if you’re lucky, at a temple festival.

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