Adding to the beauty and wealth of the Balinese culture is its dance, which is performed during temple festivals and is ceremonies of the cycle of life and death. Dances are so much a part of Balinese daily rituals that the performances that tourists see in hotels and restaurant are just a fraction of the wealth of Balinese dance. Thought the original of the Balinese dance harks back long before any written history, inscriptions from the ninth century named the wayang (puppet theater) and topeng (mask dance) as the main entertainment of the day. Even gamelan music had already been performed in the Dog Son bronze culture of the first millennium BC. Apart from the trance dances that are indigenous much of the Balinese dances heritage actually originates from Java.
History of the Balinese Dance
In the 14th century, the defeat of Bali by Majapahit led to the creation of mini-prince-palities and courts. As a result a blend of Javanese court and peasant culture was created in Bali. The present day accompanying narrative for dance and drama is to a large extent based on court stories from pre-Majapahit Java. The Indian epics are another favorite of the stage and the Javanese influence can be see especially in the wayang where long quotes from the ancient Javanese Kakawin poetry are recited out. the16th century brought Islamization to java, resulting in much of the Javanese culture vanishing from its own land. however, it transformed in Bali, becoming classical Balinese culture. but this didn't live too long until colonization. The rural courts were defeated and replaced with new lords of the land, shifting the center of creativity to village associations and to the development of tourism. The Balinese culture dance was in its hype of activities especially during the30's and 50's. The fertile decades helped survive the old narrative-led theatre while letting loose solo dances almost everywhere, accompanied by a new, dynamic kind of music called gong kebyar. This trend continued in the 60's and 70's with the needs Indian and Javanese stories adapted to the needs of modern audiences.
Dance & Religion
Balinese dance is inseparable from religion. A small offering of food and flowers must precede even dances for tourists. Before performing, many dancers pray at their family shrines, appealing for holy 'taksu" (inspiration) from the gods. In this rural tradition, the people say that peace and harmony depend on protection by the gods and ancestors. dance in this context may fulfill a number of specific functions:
a) As a channel for visiting gods or demonic gods, the dancers acting as a sort of living repository.these trance dances include the Sang Hyang Dedari,with little girls in trance, and the Sang Hyang Jaran, a fire dance;
b) As a welcome for visiting gods, such as the pendet, rejang and sutri dances;
c) As entertainment for visiting gods, such as the topeng and the wayng.
In some of these dances, the role of dancing is so important that it is actually the key to any meaning to be found in the ritual. In wayang performances, the puppeteer is ofter see as the "priest" sanctifying the holy water. As well as their use in religious content. It is often said that drama is the preferred medium through which the Balinese cultural tradition is transmitted. The episode performed are usually related to the rites taking place; during a wedding one performs a wedding story; at a death ritual there is a visit to "hell" by the heroes. Clowns (penasar) comment in Balinese, peppering their jokes with religious and moral comment on stories whose narratives use Kawi (Old-Javanese).
Movement and Dance
The typical posture in Balinese dance has the legs half-bent, the torso shifted to one side with the elbow heightened and then lowered in a gesture that displays the suppleness of the hands and fingers. The torso is shifted in symmetry with the arms. if the arms are to the right, the sifting is to the left, and vice-verse. Apart from their costumes, male and female roles can be identified mostly by the accentuation of these movements. The women's legs are arched and their shoulders pulled up, with more marked gestures, giving the impression of power. dance movements follow on from each other in a continuum of gestures with no break and no jumping (except for a few demonic or animal characters). Each basic posture (agem), such as the opening of the curtain or the holding of the cloth, evolves into another agem through a succession of secondary gesture or tandang. The progression from one series to the other, and the changer from right to left and vice-verse, is ,marked by a short jerky emphasis called the angsel. The expression is completed by mimicry of the seen in the baris and trunajaya dances.
The Dances of Bali
1. Kecak Dance
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2. Barong Dance
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6. Topeng Dance
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9. Wayang Dance
See also other Balinese Dances:
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10. Shadow Puppet
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