The History of Bali Kecak Dance
Watch Bali Kecak Dance
Bali Kecak dance has been famous around the world. The people around the world visit Bali to see its beauty and culture. The foreigners are really amazed with this dance in which give them such a spiritual experience when watching it. The dance is not like other Balinese dances. This dance is performed by many people with a story in it.
The history of Bali Kecak dance
Bali Kecak dance is created by a Balinese dancer named I Wayan Limbak with collaboration with Walter Spies, a painter from Germany. They started to create this dance in 1930. These people had found their interested in a spiritual Balinese dance. At the first time they saw Sanghyang dance, a dance which can make the dancer become possed by holy spirit so that the dancer is in trance condition. The dancer does not remember anything at this time. The dancer has been possed by a holy spirit which is included into sacred dance. There are two kinds of Sanghyang dance, first is Sanghyang Dedari dance and the second is Sanghyang Jaran dance. Sanghyang Dedari dance is performed by two girls who are still pure and Sanghyang Jaran is perfomed by two boys who ride a imitated-horse. The dance is a ritual dance where fire is becoming the main point of this dance.
How Kecak dance is performed
I Wayan Limbak and Walter Spies had implemented this sacred dance into this Bali Kecak dance. The story of this dance is proposed from Ramayana epic, especially the scene when Rama fought Ravana, the giant who kidnnaped Sita, Rama’s wife. The Ramayana dancers are surrounded by approximately fifty until one hundred and fifty men. The surrounded men will shout ‘cak´ as chant which means that they are in trance along with shouting the chant. While they are shouting ‘cak´ chant, they raise their hands and close their eyes. At this moment, the dancers are also in trance condition. They are possed by Rama’s soldiers, the Holy Monkeys.
Places where Kecak dance is performed and when
The tourist who come for enjoying this Bali Kecak dance will probably state this question where Kecak dance is performed and when it is performed. Usually for ritual or sacred day, you will find it rarely performed. It is beacuse it needs exact time with sacred aim to perform this dance. However, if you want to know about this dance and watch it you may visit Uluwatu or Tanah Lot in the evening with some schedules of Bali Kecak dance performance.
If you want to watch Bali Kecak dance in Uluwatu,please see our tour program either full day tour or half day tour.
