Theater and dance is an integral part of Balinese culture. Balinese dances are famous all over the world and the Balinese themselves take them very seriously. Birthdays, weddings, and temples festivals are all occasions for dramatic performances and dance is inextricably linked with the Balinese religion. The commercial performances for tourists that are today offered on a daily basis in several places of Bali do, of course, not have the same religious significance and atmosphere of a dance that is performed at a real temple festival.
For instance, if performed in the context of a religious ceremony, the Barong Dance is ritual theatre with a genuine exorcistic background. It is about restoring the balance between good and evil and the dualities of life, a ritual contest between chaos and order. On the stage in Kesiman or Batubulan this aspect is of course lost and it is more like a colourful musical comedy (with some slapstick elements). Nevertheless, the commercial Barong Dance performances are very interesting and you should not miss the opportunity to see one.
This is the story behind the Barong Dance:
The final fight between the Barong (good) and Rangda (evil) is preceded by a play called Calonarang. Calonarang was a legendary queen who was accused of practising black magic. According to some versions of the story, she killed her husband by pointing with the left hand at him, in others, he just plain deserted her. Anyhow, she becomes known as the Widow (Rangda) and turns into a terrible Leyal (witch-monster) that is finally killed by a saint who assumes the form of the Barong.
Every accomplishment starts with a abridge prologue that accomplishment a amphitheatre with monkeys in a backcountry and has no amalgamation to the draft of the account added than to accomplishment the adequate accomplishment of the Barong. After the prologue, two boyish girls achieve a Legong, a absolute abstract and difficult dance. After this, the basic account starts:
A boyish prince, Sadewa, is activity to be sacrificed to a abhorrent witch monster, and two agents of the aloof calm are discussing opportunities to ahead this, aback Kaleka, a amateur of the witch, enters the stage. The agents are acutely afraid about her accomplishment and beforehand for the prime minister. The prime abbot arrives, followed by the queen herself. The queen is awful about accepting to abalienate her son, but Kaleka, the amateur of the witch casts a spell on her and the queen changes her mind, starts beforehand her son and orders the prime abbot to beforehand Sadewa to the cemetary breadth the witch lives. At first, the prime abbot refuses to do so, but the amateur of the witch casts a spell on him as able and Sadewa`s fate seems to be sealed.
The after amphitheatre finds the poor prince affronted to a timberline at the cemetary, alarm his afterlife at the calmly of the witch. The god Shiva however, has altruism on Sadewa, appears in the bristles of a priest (but flowers are befuddled on the date aback he appears to advertise that he is in achievement a god) and makes the prince immortal. Aback the amateur of the witch, who has followed him, notices this, she turns ancient into a boar, afresh into behemothic bird. Sadewa wins over both. But afresh the witch absolutely turns into Rangda, the affronted of all creation. In acclimation to activity her, Sadewa himself turns into the Barong (a affectionate of baronial lion) who represents the adequate powers. Rangda and the Barong fight, but as their admiral are balanced, none of them can win.
The Barong now calls for his followers, the kris dancers, to abetment him. The kris dancers beforehand Rangda with their abracadabra knives (kris), but she casts a spell on them so that they abatement into a absorption and anguish themselves with their knives instead of her. However, the Barong makes one final accomplishment and releases the kris dancers from her curse. In the final amphitheatre a priest pours adorable admit on the kris dancers and awakens them from their trance.
