9 Traditional Balinese Dance You Can’t Miss

4 min read

 Balinese Dance – Bali is indeed famous as one of the adventure spots in Indonesia which has various kinds of natural beauty, including culture. Therefore, the thing that is most awaited by adventurers who come to Bali, one of which is his signature dance. Therefore, please see what Balinese dances are, which can make adventurers curious and hypnotized.

Traditional Balinese Dance

Here are some traditional Balinese dances that are very popular with foreign tourists. In fact, not a few local tourists also like these dances.

Traditional Balinese Dance

1. Trunajaya Dance

Trunajaya dance comes from the word Teruna. The word was taken from the word youth which was found from the creations of Pan Wandres on his travels and added by I Gde Manik.

This dance tells the story of a man who wants to attract women, it can be seen from every firm dance movement where the legs are spaced like a horse. Even so, along with the growth of the times this dance was not only brought by men. Women are also able to participate, more so by 2 people at once.

When examined, the dancer always widens his eyes and firmly moves his dance, it looks scary but this is to show a man’s masculinity. This dance is usually accompanied by gamelan music Gong Kebyar, can be performed anywhere because it is only for entertainment purposes.

2. Barong Dance

Barong, from the word alone it’s similar to the Barongsai, right? But this dance is not from China. Indonesia itself has the Barong dance which was inherited long before the existence of Hinduism.

This dance tells about the feud on virtue which is symbolized by the barong, and evil which is depicted by the figure of rangda.

According to some literature, the word Barong comes from the origin of the word “Bahruang” which means bear. Even so, the shape of the animals depicted can vary depending on the type of Barong dance that is carried, there are Barong Bangkal, Barong Macan, Barong Asu, Barong Gajah, Barong Blasblas, Barong Landung and the most famous, namely Barong Keket or Barong Ket which describes a combination on tigers, lions and cows.

This dance is usually danced by 2 men, one playing the head and the other playing the tail. The Barong body used for dancing is mostly made of leather and decorated with Balinese carvings which are added with mirror glass ornaments to make it look shiny. Barong feathers are made from palm fiber, although some are made from crow feathers. As for the masks, most of them are made of wood that grows in areas that are recognized as sacred or haunted. This dance is accompanied by gamelan Gong Kebyar, gamelan Batel and gamelan Babarongan.

3. Legong Dance

In the era of the Balinese kingdom, this dance was only performed in the palace environment. The word Legong itself comes from the origin of the word “Leg” which has a flexible meaning and “gong” which can be concluded as gamelan. Because of that, this dance has a graceful movement accompanied by a traditional Balinese gamelan called Semar Pegulingan. In addition, the dancers who play Legong use fans, if the character is Condong.

In Bali, there are several types of Legong Dance that developed over time, namely Legong Keraton or Legong Lasem, Legong Legod Bawa, Legong Jobog, Legong Smaradahana, Legong Sudarsana and Legong Kuntul.

4. Kecak Dance

Who doesn’t know the Kecak dance? The Kecak dance is a traditional Balinese dance that has become very popular and has become one of the typical performances that tourists seek.

This dance was created by Wayan Limbak and Walter Spies in 1930 by German artists, this dance tells the epic Ramayana and on average all the dancers are male. The number of dancers who perform the Kecak Dance can number in the tens or more.

If you travel to Bali, set aside for about 30 minutes to watch the Kecak Dance performance, you will see the dancers sitting in a circle and shouting “cak” while raising both arms. The next thing describes the army of monkeys when supporting Rama against Ravana. There are also dancers who play Ramayana characters.

This dance is often praised by foreign tourists because of its uniqueness, even though it only reads “cak-cak-cak” but several groups sound it with different beats, when you listen to a group of men sounding the word “cak” you seem to be listening to thousands of people which sounds the word “cak”. This is the uniqueness of the Kecak dance. This dance is presented very simply, but the mystical atmosphere is still there forever.

5. Pendet Dance

At first, this Balinese traditional dance was a worship dance performed in temples in Bali.

Pendet dance can be called as a form of welcoming the descending of the gods to the world. Over time, the dance artists on the island of Bali changed the next dance into a welcome dance.

The modern version of Pendet Dance was created by I Wayan Rindi in the 1950s. I wayan Rindi is an artist who has spent his whole life observing all Balinese dances. As he grew older, I Wayan Rindi loved Balinese culture. In order to become a Pendet dance teacher from generation to generation, he also created a specific Pendet Dance choreographer for the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Jakarta. He made the choreographer for the Pendet Dance to be danced by more than 800 people, which was originally danced by 5 people.

6. Baris Dance

As the name implies, this dance is formed in a row position.

Baris Dance is one of the traditional Balinese dances which was originally a form of ritual, but over time this dance became an entertainment dance. Baris Dance was created in the mid-16th century.

In this dance, the dancer moves his body like a hero who is at war, this dance is shown about the courage of the Balinese knights who are fighting to defend the King.

This dance is usually performed by at least 8 to at most 40 men. The costumes for this dance are badog, lamak, awir, velvet clothes, trousers, and others, such as knights complete with head, back and chest decorations. However, the costumes of dancers worn in each region in Bali may differ because each region has its own distinctive Baris Dance. This dance is included in the sacred dance so that it is only performed when there are special celebrations and sacred ceremonies.

7. Panji Semirang Dance

This dance was created by an artist named I Nyoman Kaler in 1942. The Panji Semirang dance is recognized as a dance performance, which is demonstrated outside the temple.

This dance tells the story of a princess named Galuh Candrakirana who is wandering and disguised as a man by the name of Raden Panji. The next odyssey was carried out by the princess after she lost her husband. Usually danced by female dancers who act as men.

Initially danced by Luh Cawan, one of I Nyoman Kaler’s students.

In this dance, you will see the dancers whose eyes are wide open like someone who is angry, filled with smiles but forever with fierce eyes. There is a change in expression in some of the movements.

8. Puspanjali Dance

Puspanjali is a traditional Balinese dance which is a form of welcoming. Puspanjali is a combination of the meanings of the words “puspa” and “anjali” which when put together “respect like a flower”. It means respecting guests like a flower.

This dance is performed by a group of 5 to 7 female dancers. This dance is inspired by the dances performed at the Rejang ceremony which depicts a group of women who are happy with the presence of guests who come to their area.

This dance was created in 1989 by a Balinese dance stylist named N.L.N. Swasthi Wijaya and I Nyoman Windha who were the accompaniment of percussion.

9. Margapati Dance

The word Margapati is taken from the word Marga which means road, and pati means death. When put together means the road to death.

Created by Nyoman Kaler in 1942, this dance depicts the mistakes of a woman’s life journey. Because of that, this dance presents a lot of male dance movements even though the dancers are mostly women. If seen, the movements of this dance are like stalking and getting ready to pounce on their prey.

So, those are some traditional Balinese dances that you shouldn’t miss. The dance also displays various history and stories from Balinese culture.