Balinese Entertainment
With over 1000 troupes, dance is at the very center of the Balinese life. On Java dance is the prerogative of the courts, but on Bali it's most prevalent in the villages. The Balinese consider Javanese dancing boring, while Javanese think Balinese dancing noisy and vulgar. Dancers on Bali perform for the pleasure of the gods, prestige, and the entertainment of friends and family. Gambuh, wayang wong and topeng are dance drama, when legong is the classical dance of the princely court. Gambuh is the oldest known dance drama in Bali, it is inspired by the Javanese literature. Very few active village gambuh troupes remain. The wayang wong, is a drama where the dancers play the roles of the shadows puppets of the Javanese Wayang kulit. The players are masked and their movements follow the style of the shadow puppets.
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Topeng Dance  Sacred masked theatre based on the literature of genealogical legends (babad); with wayang kulit, one of the traditional media of cultural instruction. A set of archetypal masks representing dynastic figures is danced in sequence, to the accompaniment of gamelan orchestra.more |
Legong Keraton Dance (Classic) In legends, Legong is the heavenly dance of divine nymphs. Of all classical Balinese dances, it remains the quintessence of femininity and grace. Girls from the age of five aspire to be selected to represent the community as Legong dancers.more |
Barong and Rangda Barong, a mystical creature with a long way back and curved tail, represents the affirmative, the protector of mankind, the glory of the high sun, and the favorable spirits associated with the right and white magic. The widow witch Rangda is its complement.more |
Wayang Kulit (Shadow Puppets) Balinese Wayang Kulit shadow play takes place as a part of temple celebrations or other religious gatherings. The purpose of the Wayang is to bless the occasion by inviting ancestral spirits to visit the location. Bountiful offerings are presented before, during, and after the performance, more |
Sanghyang Dance (Trance - Fire Dance) Sanghyang dances developed from the essential religious function of maintaining the health and well-being of the village. They are performed to exorcise evil spirits that may be infesting the community in the form of sickness or death. more |
Baris Warrior Dance (Usually accompanying Legong) Just as the Legong is essentially feminine, Baris, atraditional wardance, glorifies the man hood of the triumphant Balinese warrior. The word baris means a line orfile, in the sense of a line of soldiers, and referred to the warriors who fought for the kings of Bali. There are numerous kinds of Baris, more |
OLEG Dance A modern dance choreographed by the the renown Mario in 1952, Oleg Tambulilingan has become a popular addition to the repertoire of dances included in a Legong performance. Originally, it was danced by only one girl and called Oleg, a general term meaning the swaying of a dancer. Later, more |
Jauk Dance (Mask Dance) As a classical solo performance expressing the movements of a demon, Jauk is derived from a traditional play in which all the dancers, wearing frightening masks of the raksasa or demon type, enacted episodes from the Kawi versions of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. more |
Kecak Dance (Monkey Dance) Of all the dances seen on Bali today, the Kecak dance is perhaps the most dramatic. Unlike other dances, there is no gamelan orchestra accompanying it. Instead, a troupe of bare-chested men serve as the chorus, making synchronized "chak-achak-achak" clicking sounds while swaying their bodies and waving their hands. more |
Wayang Wong (Shadow Men) The heroes of the great Hindu epics, the "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata", have served as role models for the Balinese for many generations. In the Wayang Wong, the ancient stories of the Ramayana are converted to mask dramas enacting the battle between truth and justice and the forces of evil. more |
Pendet Dance (Used also for Welcome Dance) As a Welcome dance, Pendet is the presentation of an offering in the form of a ritual dance. Unlike the exhibition dances that demand arduous training, Pendet may be danced by everyone: male and female pemangkus, women and girls of the village. more |
OGA OGA - Day of Silence Re-enactment Ogoh-Ogoh Ritual and Parade:Initially, the giant dolls, popularly known as ogoh-ogoh, were created as the symbol of demonic spirits. In the Ngerupuk ritual, a sort of exorcism ritual taking place the night before Nyepi, the ogoh-ogoh are paraded around the .... more |
