Sanghyang Jaran, the Pemangku (temple priest) or a group of chosen men becomes himself the Sanghyang, possessed by ancestral deity, a Gandarwa (celestial soldier) on horseback. The dance is performed in the inner court yard of the death temple. As in Sanghyang Dedari the dancer is put into trance with wafted of incense and chorus of Sanghyang song. In the state of trance the dancer fall, convulsed to the ground and rush to grab hobby horses. During the pre-trance chanting, coconut shells have been lit, leaving red hot coals.

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Wayan Limbak, a late Balinese dancer which the popularity of his legacy has surpassed his own name, was a Baris (warrior dance) dancer who, along with Walter Spies, created the island’s famous monkey dance or Kecak. Kecak dance which is usually contracted into Cak is a contemporary Balinese dance, a secular dance that its origin can be traced to the sacred Sanghyang dance.

This dance was first created by Wayan Limbak in Bedulu village, Gianyar regency, at the request of Walter Spies. Wayan Limbak was commissioned to devise a new kind of dramatic performance which is based on Ramayana epic, accompanied solely by a chorus like that found in sacred Sanghyang Dedari performance.

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Cak or Kecak is a contemporary Balinese dance, a secular dance that its origin can be traced to the sacred Sanghyang dance. This dance was first created by dancers in Bedulu village, Gianyar regency, at the request of Walter Spies. The group was commissioned to devise a new kind of dramatic performance which is based on Ramayana epic, accompanied solely by a chorus like that found in sacred Sanghyang Dedari performance. In that old sacred rite, the choral group consist of perhaps a dozen men, each making distinctive ‘chek, chek, chek’ sound that blend into a complex interlocking rhythmic pattern to assist the dancers in sustaining their trance condition.

This sacred dance, much developed, is the basis for Cak, a purely secular performance given almost exclusively for tourist. It is unthinkable for a Balinese to stage a Cak dance in his ceremony or for local consumption. The first simple version created in Bedulu achieved instant success and rapidly became very popular with tourist and other visitors to Bali. At heyday of Balinese tourism, several dozen professional groups perform regularly at the larger hotels and on special stages built for that purpose in their ward meeting halls.

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In Bali, dance, drama and music are important part of a ritual or religious ceremony. It is an offering to God. Dancers and actors offer their best performances; musicians play their best melody all for God amusement. Balinese believe that like human, God loves to see beautiful dances, superb drama performance and excellent music. It is the duty of the dancers, artists and musician to sacrifice their talents.

With rare exception, Balinese dance, drama, and music are functional arts, not art for art’s sake. All the drama and music performed, created or composed collectively, all choreography and all dances are ultimately rooted in religion. There is no major religious event, which is not accompanied by music, dance or theater; sometimes they are considered as a compulsory part of a ritual cycle.

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I Gusti Agung Ngurah Supartha, known to many in the USA through his spirited work at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington D.C., and in many programs throughout the world, died today in Bali. It was very sudden, apparently of a heart attack, his family reported.

Pak Supartha was active as a choreographer, composer and dalang, and often performed with members of his family. He was enthusiastic about classical Balinese arts as well as innovations that extended the traditions he loved. Pak Supartha dedicated his life to bringing the arts of Bali to everyone, from teaching beginning kecak to college students on three continents to organizing 5000 Balinese artists for the record-breaking CAKolosal in September of 2006.

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