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Kecak Dance
The Kecak Dance tells the Indian story of Ramayana. Rama, a warrior and
rightful hier to the throne of Ayodya, is exiled with his wife Sita to a
faraway desert. There, an evil king spies Sita, falls in love with her, and
sends a golden deer to lure Rama away. Sita is captured, and Rama rounds up
his armies to defeat those of the evil king and rescue her. Rama is the man in
green dancing in the center of the circle, the golden deer is in yellow in the
back. What makes the Kecak such a fascinating dance to watch are the fifty or
so men in the checkered pants. They are both the choir and the props,
providing the music for the story in a series of constant vocal chants that
change with the mood of the actors. They don't sit still, either, they wave
their arms to simulate fire, and reposition themselves around the stage to
represent wind and fire, prison cells, and unseen hand of protection from the
gods.The dance is played in five acts and lasts roughly 45 minutes. Weekly (in
some places daily) performances of the Kecak abound around the island, but the
most well-known Kecak theater is in the town of Batubulan just north of the
Balinese capital of Denpasar. The dance company provides transportation for a
nominal fee to and from the resort.Attending a Kecak recital is a must for any
visitor to Bali. It is a wondrous experience, and a window into the musical
and artistic culture that make the Balinese a special people.
Kecak & Fire Dance
Lighted up by an oil torch standing in the middle of the stage, the dancers
perform a drama which the theme is derived from the Ramayana epic. The dalang
-storyteller- relates the episode of the performance. The atmosphere of the
performance becomes so attractive, though without any music instrument, the
oral music gives a strong magical impression to the audience. Originally this
dance is a part of an old Sanghyang dance (sacred dance). The dance consists
of male chorus which obsessively pray to their ancestors. Then Walter Spies -a
famous painter from German who lived in Ubud- gave his initiative to add the
Ramayana story to that Sanghyang dance. And until today this dance always
perform the same theme and form.
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