After successful performance of Bedaya Legong Calonarang Fusion Dance in Esplanade Theater Singapore, Ayu Bulan Dance Workshop presented its new opus, Legong Mintaraga which was staged for the first time at Ancak Saji (front courtyard) of Puri Agung Peliatan (Great Palace of Peliatan) on Wednesday 8/29/07, in a series of legong dance performances to honor the legendary dance teachers Anak Agung Gde Mandera and Gusti Made Sengog.

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Of all the form of Balinese dance, the Barong and Rangda performance which involves trance possession were the most fascinating to early western residents and visitors. Followers of the Barong frequently practiced self-stabbing during a performance, to the great interest of scholars and curiosity seekers alike. In the early of 1930s, Walter Spies directed many visitors to the villages of Pagutan and Tegal Tamu in Gianyar Regency, where variants of Calonarang dance-drama were performed. Many special performances were commissioned by Walter Spies and his guest, and in Pagutan, especially, Calonarang performances become something of a local industry, three or more might be requested in a single week.

Calonarang performance on The Annual Bali Arts Festival 2006

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To shed a better light on the topic of ‘white lie’, let us check first what Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary has to say on ‘lie’ and ‘white lie.’ In the context of untruthfulness, as a noun, the word ‘lie’ can be defined as ‘a statement made by somebody knowing that it is not true’ and as a verb, it is defined as ‘to say or write something that you know is not true. For the word ‘white lie,’ this dictionary defines it as ‘a harmless or small lie, especially one that you tell to avoid hurting somebody.’

Now, we can proceed to the Balinese concept of ‘white lie.’ There are five types of lies that are justified by the Hindu, known as Panca Nrta. Panca Nrta stated that you can tell a lie for five purposes or circumstances which are to save our own, or other’s life, property or belonging; to persuade sick person to take medicine, to defeat the enemy, to joke with somebody, joking, and to praise your lover.

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When you attend a temple festival in Bali, your ears will be filled with sweet and melodious voices of kakawin singers. The scale of ceremony in Bali can be measured by the appearance of kakawin singers group. A big scale ceremony usually use the service more than one kakawin singer group (pesantian). By the way, what is kakawin?

Utsawa Dharma Gita on The Annual Bali Arts Festival 2006

Kakawin is a form of old Javanese poetry with a metre originating from India. They were composed and performed in Java and Bali from the 8^th century until the now (still widely performed in Bali but not in Java).

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Arja is a kind of Balinese theatrical performance, further development of Gambuh, the oldest theatrical performance in Bali. The word “arja” is derived from the word “reja” means “beauty”. The birth of Arja can be traced back to the year around 1175-1825 in the reign of Dewa Agung Sakti, the king of Klungkung.

Arja dancers on The 28th Annual Bali Arts Festival 2006 Opening Parade

Arja is one of the most technically difficult dance-drama of Bali, since the dancers must sing and dance at the same time. This characteristic is similar to opera performance in western countries. The language that is used in Arja performance is a mixing of Kawi (ancient language of Javanese and Balinese). The royal characters sing and talk in a high partly in kawi, partly in high Balinese, and are paraphrased by their servants or ministers into common Balinese that is much more easily understood by the audience.

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‘All is fair in love’ a saying that is understood perfectly by the Balinese. When love from a man or woman seems impossible to achieve, it is time for magic to join the game. The magic on love in Bali has various forms. Range from spell to amulet, from charm to potion, which produce various effects to the victim.

Amulet
There are many kinds of amulet that are used to gain love from a man or woman, the most powerful of all is the Arjuna coin and Moon coin. Arjuna coins that are used by man have an image romantic hero Arjuna of Mahabharata epic, while those used by women are the moon coins. The moon-coin has an image of new moon on it. These coins are believed to have been made by the gods and not by humans; they are found lying around the temple at night if it is the wish of the gods to present one with a magic coin.

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