Bali Dance

Baris
This is warriors dance. It is usually performed by men, either solo or in a group of five or more.

Barong & Rangda
This is a story about the struggle between good and evil. Good is personified by the Barong keket, a strange but fun-loving creature in the shape of shaggy semi-lion. Evil is represented by Rangda, a witch.

Kecak
The most famous Balinese dance, originated from the sanghyang dance choirs, hold its uniqueness in the entrenching ‘Kecak, kecak’ chant. The Kecak as a dance developed in the 1930s, in the village of Bona, where it is still performed regularly.

Legong
This dance tells the story of princess Rangkesari being held captive by king Lakesmi. Rangkesari’s brother, prince Daha, gathers an army to rescue his sister. The legong is a very classical and graceful dance, always performed by prepubescent girls, who can be as young as eight or nine years old.

Wayang Kulit (Shadow puppet)
Wayang Kulit is one of the great story-telling traditional of the Javanese and Balinese people. The Wayang usually consist of a small four-piece orchestra, which provides the musical accompaniment, around sixty ‘puppets’, carved out of flat pieces of water buffalo hide, and the Dalang or puppet-master. The good character speaks in ancient ‘Kawi’, whereas the evil or coarse ones speak Balinese.