Another hot humid night in Ubud, a couple of hours north of Bali’s capital, Denpasar. Traditional dance and drama performances are held nightly at many of the Hindu temples around town, all mesmerizingly ornate and stunning backdrops for the festivities.
We were in Ubud en route to the north before heading across to Java and had a couple of tickets to this production of the Kecak dance.
The temple had all the feel of camaraderie and agitation associated with any small community production. Ticket holders slowly filled up a few rows of red plastic chairs whilst a huge, largely male cast gathered in black, white and red chequered sarongs, each with a white flower tucked neatly behind their left ear.
The historic Hindu love story of Ramayana is played out across Indonesia in various forms but watching this interpretation unfold by candlelight, in such an intimate and engaging setting was a genuinely entrancing experience.
The Kecak dance is unique in that the only music accompaniment is the percussive voice of men chanting ‘chak-chak’ in relentless, rhythmic unison.
Created in the 1930s for western tourists, the dance merges part of the Ramayana story with the traditional sanghyang trance-inducing exorcism ritual. This photo shows a section of the Ramayana being acted out, backed by the resonating chants and swaying movements of an encircling male choir. Trance-induced spectacles follow the love story and make for a truly hypnotic experience.
This post has been entered into the Grantourismo and HomeAway Holiday-Rentals travel blogging competition.
