Kecak Dance in Bali

One of the greatest holidays that my friend had was in Bali Island, in Indonesia. If I were asked for a reason that made it outstanding, I would be looking for the answer. I think it is the natural blends of the scenic beauties of the island, the rich cultural heritage and the friendly native people that had create the different.

On the night of our arrival, we decided to visit the famous of the Bali dance, the Kecak Fire Dance. Usually the dance was at sunset and near the beach, but also can do in other place.

On the way, we stopped at an old Hindu temple, a temple full of monkeys. Tourists were reminded to take care of their belongings especially the sunglass and handbags. The monkeys were fond of grabbing the sunglass and actually wore them and run off to the roof top. There is very hard to get it back from him.

When we arrived at the dance stage, the sun was setting. We paid off the entrance fees in Rupiah and sat on the terrace style chair around the dance floor. The atmosphere was dark and the whole area was only lit by the burning bonfire. We must respect the local customs, as the dance can not be apart of the religious believes of the Balinese. The deities and customs are always believed and practiced by some local Balinese.

The show held without life music. The stunning voice of the dancers was the musical background for the dancers to dance in trance. Over 50 bare-chested male dancers are swaying their body and hands uttering cak-cak-cak, some dancers imitating the sound of monkeys of Hanuman, the friendly and power full monkey king and his troops that helped Rama. The chanting sound of Cak-cak-cak gave the dance its name, the Kecak dance.

The dance retold there story of the epic. Rama had to leave Sita alone and out of his fear for her safety, he had casted his spell to guard Sita. However the evil Rahwana tricked Sita with his golden deer and abducted her to his Island of Lengka. Then the war began, and with the help of the white monkey king, Hanuman, Rama defeated his enemy and saved his wife.

The story was full with excitements of magic and wizards, translated into the movements of the dance. Only those who read the story will able understand them. The Kecak dance is a must see attraction to visitors. It is part of the unique Bali culture which is rare to find nowadays.

Jauk and Telek

These masked figures which still exist in Bali today. The males are called jauk. They wear special conical, pointed chandelier-like head-dress in the shape of a Buddhist stupa. The masks are similar in form and bright red color. The style of carving and painting resembles the mask of Rawana in Wayang Wong. The face is fierce, with large eyes, shiny visible teeth, and moustache and beard. The dancers wear long artificial finger-nails. The corresponding female characters are called telek. Their refined masks are also uniform; they are white in colour with visible teeth, but the expression is pleasant and smiling; these masks are identical to the Sang Hyang Legong masks preserved in Ketewel. The female dencers also wear the identifying pagoda-shaped crown and carry fans. (in Sanur area these dancers are called sandaran rather than telek).
At the present time the jauk dancers are rarely seen in dance-drama, and the telek dancers are hardly to be found at all. Two style of solo dance for a male dancer clad as jauk, however, are commonly included in concerts presenting a sampling of different kinds of Balinese dance.

From: Balinese Dance in Transition

Dances of the Inner Temple

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-->The genres considered in this article belong to the most sacred (wali) category of Balinese performing arts. They all appear to be of indigenous origin, although later Hindu-Javanese elements can be seen in them as well as the characteristic poses, gestures, and phrases of movement which make up the fundamental vocabulary of movement of Balinese dance. All of these forms belong to what might be called the communal, village-centred aspect of Balinese culture and involve a strong element of audience participation ; the degree of training and basic talent required of the performers are low by Balinese standards. Aesthetic factors, however, are important in some of them. In Gabor, for example, the skill of dancers is as important as the beauty of the offerings presented.

Trance is often present in these genres, and with it there is presumption of possession by divine. Wali Dances are performed in connection with religious rituals, and they are often given in the context of elaborate schedule of festivals of the Hindu-Balinese religious calendar. Some of them are specifically associated with the old-fashioned Bali Aga villages, in which many in old Balinese traditions and practices have been maintained, while others are found in villages throughout the island. The Wali Dances are customarily performed in or originate from the sacred inner temple courtyard, or Jeroan. This is the most sacred temple space, the inner sanctum.