• Selling Last and Love in Bali
• What to Do-Kuta and Seminyak
• The Hidden Life of South Bali
• The Struggle to Save Bali's Turtles
• Jimbaran-The Bukit
• What to Do-Impossible Surf at The Bukit
• Fair Trade in Bali
• Ubud
• A Dance for Every Day
• Balinese Painters
• Ubud-What to do
• A Word of Dance
• East Bali in a Nutshell
• The Hidden life of East Bali
• Klungkung
• Where to Stay-Padang Bay
• Where to Stay Candidasa
• First and Third World in Tenganan
• Amlapura-Tirtagangga
• Tirtagangga and Around
• Amed Beach
• Planning Your Trip: The Best of Bali
• South Bali in a Nutshell

 

A Dance for Every Day

Dances for the Gods, Dances for the People

Dances are classified into the sacred - for the gods – and the secular -for humans. The most sacred dances ( wali ), like the pendet , gabor, baris gede and the masked dance, topeng pejengan, take place in the holiest, inner court of the temple ( jeroan ). The ceremonial dances ( bebali ), like the Ramayana and gambuh , take place in the middle court yard (j aba tengah ). All these sacred dances are held when the priest is conducting the rituals and the temple is filled with people. At the same time, a shadow puppet per­formance ( wayang kulit ) may also be occurring.

secular dances take place in the outer part of the temple or outside. Popular examples are the legong, the kebyar and the lively solo baris tungal . New dances tend to fall into this category - dance is alive and well in Bali , and new choregraphies are created all the time. There are dance competitions throughout the island and nightly performances on Bali TV, the local television channel.

Although many new dances were created for Western consumption, the Balinese have been quick to adopt them. The most famous example is the kecak (monkey dance ). Initially choreographed by Walter Spies and Katharine Mershon in 1931 for a German movie, “ Island of the Demons”, it has become a favourite with Balinese and tourists alike. Similarly, the oleg tumulilingan (bumble – bee dance), was created by local choreographer, Mario of Tabanan, for the Peliatan dance troupe's tour of Europe and America in 1952. the genggong (frog dance), a favourite among children, is another example.

Some of the most classical dances of Bali have caught the heart of foreigners. An example is found in Batuan, near Ubud, famous for its gambuh – about which Beryl de Zoete and Walter Spies wrote in 1938: “every dance – form…is ultimately derived from gamboeh ; all dance technique originates in its movements, all scales and melodies from its peculiar gamelan.” Today, foreigners and Balinese are allying in the “ Gambuh Project “ to save this enthralling mother af all Balinese dances.

A Dance Rescue

At the end o f the I 980s, the beautiful gambuh was dying amidst financial diffi­culties - it requires large sets of dancers, instruments and costumes - and disinterest among the Balinese. The rescue started when an Italian Dancer, Cristina Formaggia, felt in love with gambuh. She took ten years to study the old dance, becoming a recog­nised master of one of the main roles. Working with the Batuan temple troupe and nearby communities, she started the Gambuh Preservation Project , with the help of the Ford Foundation. Inquire at Pura Desa Batuan temple to witness their stunning performances, or buy the great CD, "Music of the Gambuh Theater"; to sup­port the project.

Strike dance attitudes

Ownstylised movements

favofurite among children