The Kecak (pronounced: "KEH-chahk") is a Balinese music drama performed primarily by men, interestingly enough, with no musical accompaniment.  Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece is performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" throwing their arms in the air.   The men not only provide the rhythm for this dance but also act as the various monkey armies that are featured in the story and as the undulating snake in one of the scenes.

In the 1930s Wayan Limbak worked with German painter Walter Spies to create the Kecak from movements and themes in the traditional ‘Sanghyang’ exorcism ritual and the portions of the Ramayana. This collaboration between artists worked to create a dance that was both authentic to Balinese traditions but also palatable to Western tourist's narrow tastes at the time. Wayan Limbak popularized the dance by traveling throughout the world with Balinese performance groups.

It depicts an epic battle from the Ramayana where Prince Rama fights the evil King Rahwana, with the help of the white monkey army, to rescue his kidnapped wife Dewi Sinta.

It is an impressive dramatic performance not to be missed, especially against the backdrop of the Tanah Lot Temple at sunset.

The dance presented here is called Barong Keket, the most popular of the Barong Dances. The Barong Keket wears a mask of a mythical lion follower by his friend monkey.
The name of the Barong depends on the animal represented in the Dance. If the mask is of a tiger, ‘Macan’ in Balinese, the Barong is then called Barong Macan.
Barong, a mythical creature with long swayback and curved tail, represents the positive, a protector of Mankind, the glory of the high sun, and the favorable spirits associated with the right and white magic.

’Rangda’, the widow-witch, represents the opposite complement. She rules the evil spirits and witches. Her habitat is darkness and her powers come from the practice of black magic and the destructive force of the left.

Both figures are of the same earthly substance but possessing strong magical prowess. Somewhere in a mythical past, the Barong was won over to the side of humanity and, in the dance, fights on behalf of the people against the intruding death forces of the Rangda.

The barong play represents an eternal fight between Good and Evil. The story of Kunti Sraya, a favorite theme of drama, is derived from the one of the main episodes in the famous Hindu epic, the Mahabarata. It is about Dewi Kunti, the mother of the five Pandawas who for various reasons, has promised to sacrifice Sadewa, one of her five sons to Rangda.

The Sanghyang Dedari is a ceremonial dance for prayer and ceremony. In this particular dance, the dancers become mediums used to contact the spirit world.

A group of women chant a centuries-old song, calling the divine spirits from heaven to dance in the bodies of the young girls as they kneel before a smoking brazier of incense. The dancers sway to the rhythm of the music and as it increases in tempo they fall senseless to the ground.

They are bodily lifted up by their attendants and hoisted on to the shoulders of men who carry them to place where they will dance. The chorus of song now begins once more and the tiny figures, their eves firmly closed, sway to the music in perfect harmony, following the movements of a simplified Legong. These young dancers have never had lessons, and they could not repeat this performance in a normal state of consciousness.

Sanghyang Jaran is a male version of the Sanghyang Dance involving a man who tramples a fire of coconut husks on a horse, ‘Jaran’ in Balinese. The Jaran is represented by a simple hobby-horse of palm leaves. The red hot coals are scattered and the man dances in a trance like a horse, snorting and neighing, seemingly unscathed by his ordeal.

Regular Sanghyang performances are held in Bona and Gianyar enabling those with a short time in Bali to witness these rarely performed dances.


Baris Dance

Baris Dance is a traditional war dance that glorifies the manhood of the triumphant Balinese warrior. The word Baris means a rank or file of soldiers and is referred to the warriors who fought for the kings of Bali. There are numerous kinds of Baris, distinguished by the arms borne by the dancers; spear, lance, kris, bow, sword, or shield.

Originally, the dance was a religious ritual. The dedication of warriors and their weapons during a temple feast. From the ritualistic Baris Gede grew the dramatic Baris, a story prefaced by a series of exhibition solo dances which showed a warrior's prowess in battle. It is from these that the present Baris solo takes its form.

A Baris dancer must undergo rigorous training to obtain the skill and flexibility, which typifies the chivalrous elegance of the dance. A Baris dancer must be supple, able to sit on his heels, keeping his knees spread wide apart in line with his body. His face must be mobile to convey fierceness, disdain, pride, acute alertness and, most importantly, compassion and regret, characteristics of a warlike noble. The Baris is accompanied by a Gamelan Gong. The relation between dancer and orchestra is an intimate one with the gamelan entirely attuned to the changing moods of the warrior's imperious will. Such a spectacular show of style, mental control of and physical dexterity would intimidate any enemy worthy of the Baris!

The flute begins an eerie tune, and faraway voices chant a strange song that flows from a loud melody to a nearly inaudible high pitch. Two girl singers appear wearing splendid, floral crowns with multi-colored spikes. They advance, allowing another pair to enter, until twelve girls have filed on stage.

Slowly, they kneel opposite each other, cocking their heads and darting their eyes to accent the rhythm of the orchestra. As the chanting continues, twelve young men silently repeat the girls' entrance.

In contrast to feminine delicacy, their movements are deliberate and strong. All wear painted moustaches and bear the self assured look of a courtier.

Suddenly, the male formation breaks into frenzied activity of twists, jerks and lunges -all in the tight syncopation of a military drill. Instantly, the shock wave ceases, the men freeze in their positions, and the lonely flute carries the dance back to the soft sways and chanting of the girls. The juxtaposition of the subdued motions of the girls against the dynamic thrusts of the men, the harmonious feminine song against the jagged yells of male voices, makes Janger an artful composition of dance, music and chorus.