Tightly wound in golden costumes, quivering flowers atop tooled leather crowns, the dancers’ eyes dart from side to side, matching the energy in their hands as their fingers seem to shimmer in their joints. Balinese dance is perhaps one of the most well-known in the world.

Steeped in sacred religious rituals, dance is one way Balinese communicate with their gods and deified ancestral spirits. Dance (and theater and music) entertains both the mortal and divine audience. Both males and females dance and begin to study at a very young age. Towns are filled with dance studios (sanggar) where children go after school a few hours a week. Recitals and
performances at temple festivals are de rigeur , whether or not the piece is polished or not. The process of learning is almost as important as the finished dance and the entire community can get involved, from the teachers to the musicians to the vendors who feed the hungry students to the drivers who take them to the venue. Rituals are replete with children as young as 3 and 4 years old performing the sacred forms of Rejang Dewa and Baris Gede. The deities don’t mind that the feet are in the wrong position or if you look at your neighbor when you forget a step–it is dance as an act of devotion that is important here.

(more…)

We were surprised; we have seen Rejang dance before in other areas of Bali, we expected to see the slow and elegance movement of Rejang, smooth movements of the feet combine with hands movements as soft as caressing breeze. But this Rejang was an exception; the dancers just stood in lines and played idly with their sashes. Pak Mangku told us that the movements of this Rejang consist of holding, lifting and dropping the sash that is wrapped around the dancer hips with the left hand. So there were movements but the moved sporadically, it was looked like the dancers were playing with their sashes. My boss told me that we always have to expect the unexpected in Tenganan, even for a Balinese.

More Rejang

On Thursday, 6/28/2007, my boss and I had the rare opportunity to witness the Rejang dance at Banjar temple in ancient Tenganan village. Pak Mangku, the community leader of Tenganan, told us that the Rejang performance will start at 4 P.M so at 3.30 we went to the Banjar temple, but as any other areas in Bali, the concept of “punctuality” was definitely unknown here.

The dancers arrived in the temple at 5 P.M, dozens of girls in their finest attires walked slowly to the temple. The procession of these beautiful maidens was an attraction by itself; dressed in sacred gringsing clothes with gold flower crowns, and other gold accessories, bright colored sashes wrapped around their hips; these young girls walked majestically in the soft light of sunset guarded by their parents or brothers. They gathered in the middle courtyard of the Banjar temple, waited for the village’s musicians. The musicians appeared one by one in their Sunday-best clothes and took their position in the gamelan pavilion.

(more…)

Kaki Tua (old man) had a fine fat cow which he was very proud of. He refused to lend her when the village wanted to borrow her for the work in the rice fields. One day, the cow strayed into the garden of Bedag, and began eating up his plants. He tried to kill her but he only succeeded in wounding her. The villagers heard of it, and again asked Kaki tua to lend his cow, just to tease him. This time he consented and went to look for her, but she was nowhere to be found. The people said they heard a great thud in Bedag garden; perhaps it was the cow falling down. And sure enough, Kaki Tua did find the cow lying there wounded. He asked the people to help him, and after three tries they managed to get her on her feet. Then they said a charm over her, and this was the song they sand as the charm:

Tinkle-tinkle goes Samplangan’s bell, all set with rubies.
Here comes Ida Bagus Nyoman and sits cross-legged.
The white horse goes trot-trot along the beach.

(more…)

Rejang, an ancient dance performs only in a temple anniversary in inner courtyard of the temple to delight and entertain the visiting god and spirit. Rejang consist of a slow procession, but participants conduct themselves with extreme grace and delicacy. It is a dignified and elegant affair. Compare to other Balinese dances, rejang is the most dream-like dance, surpassing all one can imagine of smooth, unending motion. It is accompanied by mysterious old melody subtle, smooth as the dance and with the similar feeling of infinity.

(more…)

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.

(more…)