Location
Some regular show of Kecak dance can be found at Kesiman, just 1 km
on the left side of Ngurah Rai street entering the street known as Waribang.
The dance is started at 6.00 pm in a well prepared stage special for the
show. The entrance ticket is Rp 50.000 per person. Other
regular show is at the village meeting hall of Banjar Buni Sari Kuta, the
border between Tuban and Central Kuta. The third is at Uluwatu temple and the fourth is
at Bona village near city Gianyar. Bona is the small town well known
for it's bamboo furniture.
Kecak Dance
Kecak Dance is a newly created dance which was created in 1930 by Balinese artist together
with Dutch painting artist Walter Spies. Kecak dance has become so popular among travelers
of the five continents due to its character which is real dynamic and suitable
with their spirit which is often expressed in cafes with discos although
in different type of activity. Seeing from
the fragment and style of the dance writer think that the dance has got
the inspiration from the tradition of north Bali men which is called megenjekan,
a situation of relaxing after harvesting time while enjoying drink together
on an altar with roof and open sided, making choir with the same rhythm
and temp, dancing to express their emotion together with their companion
for drinking on the pavilion. The similarity of megenjekan
and Kecak dance that soon identified is both without musical instrument,
both use human voice as the music presentation to back up the whole presentation
from the beginning until finish. The choir is presented by men of around
50 persons or more with only view syllables such as " cak cak .. cak
..., syur, syir" which are tensioning or lowering according to their
emotion and situation of the dialog. This rhythm of the choir is aimed to
back up the spirit of the dance just as the music plays role to a drama
with music. Which is specific to this dance is the costume of the men which
is only below body is covered with chequered cloth, while brest up is bare.
The number of dance is in a big number which is often giving an impression
that the dance is a mass dance. Most of Kecak dance take Ramayana Epic as the theme of
their dance, especially the episode of Prince Rama and his wife Princess
Shinta and his brother Laksamana as the legal heirs of the throne were exiling
themselves to the forest to give his brother Bharata to sit on the throne.
This exile has brought the situation become fatal for them when Princess
Shinta was abducted by the king of Demon of Alengka Pura. The abduction
of Princess Shinta is the start of the big war called Bharata Yudha between
Prince Rama assisted by the fleet of monkeys soldiers and the demon fleet
of Rahwana of Alengka Pura. Although the theme is taken from Indian
epic, but in physical appearance and spirit are real Balinese. There is
no indication of India or even a flicker of indication of India. This is
the correct adoption of a culture which leave the original tradition incorporates
the foreign aspect and used it to enrich their tradition, not changed into
foreign culture which can abolish their personality. Even some think that
it was happened Balinization of all foreign aspects, as it will be very
difficult for Indian to identify weather the dance is given Indian aspect
unless they read the story first, and watch the dance many times, but not
for Balinese, as they will soon understand what the dance is meant.
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