Balinese Dance - Bali Attractions

Balinese Dances and Some Of The Types

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.


The Vibrant Ritual

These ceremonial dances and dramasdirectly relate to religious ceremonies by serving as an offering, a prayer, or an exorcism of evil spirits. Presented with the active participation of the pemangku (the people's priest and caretaker of the village temple), they are a dramatic form of contact with spiritual world, communicative purpose runs parallel throughout a performance.

Legong Keraton

According to the Balinese legends, Legong is the heavenly dance of divine nymphs. Of all the dances in Bali's history, Legong remains the most perfect embodiment of feminity and grace. Most girls from the age of five aims to be selected to represent their community as the highly-regarded Legong dancers. Connoisseurs perform the Legong with pride and spend hours discussing the merits of various Legong dance groups. The most well-known form of Legong is the "Legong Kraton", Legong of the palace.


Calonarang

It may be the bewitching hour on the first night of the full moon, when long shadows spread like phantoms on the ground, that village crowds gather round a clearing near the temple of the dead to watch the drama of Calon Arang the widow-witch of Girah. Every Balinese knows the legend of Rangda as CaIon Arang, a favorite in local folklore.