|
Information Center |
Dance and Drama
Modern Marvels of Dance
and Drama
While Balinese dance is often
described as a traditional art form, with some of its most
famous performances, such as the exquisitely graceful Legong,
the haunting Gambuh and the eerie Calonarang still following
forms established hundreds of years ago, Balinese dance is
far from a static art. The Balinese delight in constantly
creating new works, mixing the best of tradition with modern
inspiration. The new dance you are lucky enough to witness
tonight just might become the classic of tomorrow.
The spine-tingling sight and
sound of a Kecak Dance is something that few visitors
to Bali will ever forget. Kecak was actually inspired by two
Westerners, the German patron of the arts Walter Spies and
the American writer Katharine Mershon, who in the 1930s
combined the chorus of the Sanhyang Dedari trance dance with
a storyline from the Hindu epic tale of the Ramayana to
create a thrilling new production. Today Kecak is performed
by a group of upwards of a hundred bare-chested men, who sit
in concentric circles around an oil lamp, chattering wildly
like a forest full of monkeys in a complex rhythm that
evokes a living gamelan orchestra. As their haunting
chants rise and fall in a multilayered tapestry of sound,
dancers enact the story of the beautiful princess Sita’s
capture by the evil Ravana and her release through the
bravery of Hanoman, the king of the monkeys, and his band of
simian soldiers.
The Kebyar, or “lightning
dance,” is another modern marvel, created in the 1920s by
a dancer named Mario, who was famous as the most talented
Balinese performance artist of this century. Mario combined
movements from other dances to create a work that emphasized
music, movement and emotion rather than the dramatic
storylines of traditional dance drama. In the Kebyar, which
is often performed sitting on the ground, a solo dancer
gifted with awesome talent expresses the whole range of
human emotions, moving with powerful grace to the rhythm of
traditional gamelan music.
The Joged is unlike
other Balinese dances in that it is performed solely as an
entertainment, often to celebrate a successful harvest. It
is a flirty, fun performance, where gorgeous young girls
invite men from the audience - tourists are a favorite
target - to share a sexy, slithering round of dancing.
Wrapping a scarf around the waist of her partner/victim, the
Joged dancer weaves a sensuous rhythm, teasing and bumping
and slapping to the cheers of the raucous crowd.
top
|
