Bali35 Kecak dance & Poleng

Kecak dance

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35Bali

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Pura Luhur Uluwatu is regarded as one of the six most important temples in Bali. Its location on the south westernmost point of the entire island guards the Balinese from evil spirits of the ocean.

Nowadays, Uluwatu beside as place for worship, it had been also opened as a tourist destination. This site offers the amazing panorama of deep clip bank of white stone with rocky beach valley under it. It is also blessed by the breathtaking view of sunset and spectacular Balinese Kecak Dance performed every day those are completing this site as one of the favorite tourist destinations in Bali.

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Painting, woodcarving and dancing reflect the soul of the Balinese. Traditional dances are performed especially on Hindus holiday and also to welcome visitors. Kecak was originally a trance ritual accompanied by male chorus. German painter and musician Walter Spies became deeply interested in the ritual while living in Bali in the 1930s and worked to recreate it into a drama, based on the Hindu Ramayana and including dance, intended to be presented to Western tourist audiences. This transformation is an example of what James Clifford describes as part of the "modern art-culture system in which, "the West or the central power adopts, transforms, and consumes non-Western or peripheral cultural elements, while making 'art' which was once embedded in the culture as a whole, into a separate entity." Spies worked with Wayan Limbak and Limbak popularized the dance by traveling throughout the world with Balinese performance groups. These travels have helped to make the Kecak famous throughout the world.

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Kecak Dance has been regarded as a fantastic performance in Bali since a long time ago, not only by Indonesians but also many people around the world. Kecak is performed by a group of male dancers and usually performed in the evening. Kecak dancers sit on the ground surrounding a big torch while singing.

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The dance is played in five acts and lasts roughly 45 minutes

Splashing The Holy Water To The Dance Choir

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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.

They sing as though Balinese instrument sounds and are not accompanied by any music instruments whatsoever. The movements only use the hands and head.

Kecak was performed for the first time in 1930 as an entertaining pastime dance among Balinese males.

At that time, Kecak were only played in small celebrations such as during the harvest month or village anniversary.

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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.

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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.

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In Bali the color becomes a necessity in symbolize the religion elements or ritual relationing to God. If the color associated with the arts, the art of the Balinese is the breath of life. The whole life of the Balinese cant be separated with the arts.This unique philosophy and ritual is very rich with artwork and symbolism, that make Hindu religion in Bali is different from the Hinduism origin in India. In Bali the mixing of various philosophies (such as Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Tantric, Animism, Dynamism, etc) make Balinese Hindu religion getting rich with the philosophy, implemented by an unique ritual manifestation. Associated with the use of color, The Balinese using colors as symbols in all religious ritual that held, this proves that the Balinese people reached high level of public awareness in art.Many Balinese Hindu religious rituals or religious teaching is represented with an interesting implementation which using color as symbolism. So in Bali the color as a media/symbol to learning the philosophy of Balinese Hindu Religion.

Poleng as Rwa Bhineda (Dualism)

Philosophy Representated Poleng, or chessboard (black and white) pattern of alternating black and white squares is surely the most distinguished pattern of Balinese color on clothes. Since Poleng is the national color of Bali, it can be found virtually everywhere in the island. Poleng clothes are usually wound round the big tree trunks, big rocks, statues and shrines. Banners, flags, and umbrellas that are used in a procession of the ceremony sometimes made of poleng clothes.

Nyepi

There is also a warrior dance (Baris) which is called Baris Poleng Dance. As its name suggests, the dancers Apparels consist predominantly of poleng clothes.

Poleng clothes are also used by the traditional Balinese security forces (Pecalang), poleng cloth is considered to be an obligatory part of Pecalang outfits.

The chessboard pattern of alternating black and white squares of poleng signifies Balinese concept of Rwa bhineda, a Balinese view of the mutual dualism that make up the whole world. In other word, it is about two opposite thing that depend on each other to exist, such as day and night, low and high, dry and rainy season, bitter and sweet, black and white, etc.

This Rwa Bhineda philosophy quite similar with Yin-Yang philosophy of Confuciusism or Taoism. Rwa Bhineda means: Rwa=two and Bhineda=differences/opposite. Balinese believe that the balance of this mutual dualism will brings prosperity and peacefulness to the mankind. This concept of balance is Expressed perfectly by the poleng cloth the number of white square is always equal with the black one (Sidarta Wijaya, www.blog.baliwww).

Text : InternetPictures: Nicoleta Leu & InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authorsArangement: Sanda Foioreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Kecak dance

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