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Dance and Drama
Moving Dramas Bring
History to Life
In Bali, where one’s ancestors are worshipped in sacred
shines and where one’s forebears are reincarnated to walk
again upon the earth, history provides a living link to the
past. And nowhere is Balinese history, in all its power and
passion, presented so spectacularly as in the traditional
dance dramas that have made the island famous. Telling tales
of long ago kingdoms, where brave princes and beautiful
maidens battled fearsome enemies with the help of magical
powers, these recreations of the ancient days of glory offer
breathtaking windows into Bali’s past and the resilience
of its traditions.
One of the most enduring images of Bali is that of the
Legong dancer, a stunning young maiden who enraptures her
audience with her glittering costume, her breathtaking
beauty and her awesome technical skill. Besides being the
performance most certain to win raves from foreign
audiences, Legong is also considered to be one of the most
important classical Balinese dances, epitomizing feminine
grace and charm, and all female dance students are
encouraged to master its difficult moves. Legend has it that
the Legong was created at the command of the 18th
century King of Sukawati, who was visited by two hauntingly
beautiful angels while he was meditating. He ordered his
court dancers to reproduce his vision, with exquisitely
successful results. Today the best Legong dancers begin
their arduous training at around age five, and may become
accomplished enough to perform by the age of eight to
twelve. Draped in elaborate gold costumes, they dance
stories from ancient epics, executing the complex movements
and otherworldly flicks of the eyes that bring their
characters to life.
Gambuh is the oldest of Balinese dances, the basic form
from which all later works are believed to be derived.
Thought to have been brought to Bali by migrants from the
14th century Javanese kingdom of Majapahit, Gambuh is a
slow, hypnotizingly graceful dance, accompanied by singing
in the old Javanese language of Kawi and by an orchestra
playing low-toned bamboo flutes and a stringed instrument,
similar to a violin, called a rebab. These classical
performances tell tales from the Malat, an ancient epic poem
about the dramatic adventures of Prince Panji and his long
and dangerous search for a beautiful princess.
The Topeng, or masked dance, is another style of
performance devoted to telling tales of traditional culture
and long ago legends. Dressed in elaborate costumes and hand
carved and painted wooden masks, Topeng dancers entertain
and inform, presenting a mixture of slapstick comedy,
current events and moral reminders to their eager audiences.
Many of the masks themselves are striking works of art,
believed to possess sacred powers. Dancers treat the masks
with caution and respect, for they believe that the spirit
of the mask can enter the dancer in performance.
The Wayang Kulit, or shadow play, is one of the most
ancient, respected and well-known of the Balinese performing
arts. The plays are performed by an expert puppet-master,
called a dalang, who wields an array of leather and
paint puppets from behind a thin screen, with an oil lamp to
cast the flickering shadows seen by the audience. Authentic
Wayang performances begin in the evening and may continue
until the wee hours of the morning, with spectators nodding
off around the stage, only to wake up when the action gets
heated. As entertaining as they are, however - and the
Balinese are devoted to them - Wayang performances are much
more than simply “plays.” Performed at temple festivals
and life-cycle rituals, they are serious business, offerings
to the gods and education for the people. Telling tales from
the ancient Indic epics of the Mahabarata and the Ramayana,
they transmit important lessons about religious belief and
worldly conduct. Dalangs are masters of a highly
complex and difficult set of skills and knowledge. They must
be fluent in the ancient Kawi language in which the stories
are written, and in all levels of Balinese speech. A famous dalang
studies years to master his craft, and must undergo special
rituals to purify him and make him strong enough to wield
the magical forces that are evoked by a performance. Because
they direct and channel the unseen world, dalang are
rumored to die young, their powers spent or attacked by
black magic.
Arja is sometimes translated as “Balinese Opera,”
owing to its singing style and melodramatic plot lines,
telling stories of star-crossed lovers and of the romance
and tragedy of royal life. But one does not have to be a fan
of Western-style opera to appreciate these spectacular
performances, where players in elaborate traditional
costumes sing, dance and clown about to entertain their
devoted audiences.
Drama Gong is another highly popular Balinese dramatic
form. Invented in the 1960s, its emphasis is upon acting -
or even overacting - with the players putting on impassioned
performances portraying the whole range of human emotions,
from sorrowful weeping to side-splitting laughter. Drama
Gong, unlike many other forms of Baliense drama, is
presented in the language of everyday life, earning it a
faithful group of Balinese fans, who eagerly await
performances in their villages and crowd around the
television set for its weekly broadcast.
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