Bali Art and Culture

Baris Dance
Just as the Legong is essentially feminine, the Baris, a traditional war dance, glorifies the manhood of the triumphant Balinese warrior. The word baris means 'line' or 'file' and refers to the warriors who fought for the kings of Bali. There are numerous kinds of Baris, distinguished by the arms borne by the dancers. Originally, the dance was a religious ritual: the dedication of warriors and their weapons during a temple feast. From the ritualistic Baris Gede grew the dramatic Baris, a story prefaced by a series of exhibition solo dances that show prowess in battle. It is from these that the present Baris solo takes its form. A good Baris dancer must undergo rigorous training to obtain the skill and flexibility that typifies the chivalrous elegance of the dance. A Baris dancer must convey fierceness, disdain, pride, alertness, compassion, and regret -- the characteristics of a warlike noble. The Baris is accompanied by gamelan orchestra, and the relationship between dancer and orchestra is an intimate one; the gamelan must be entirely attuned to the changing moods of the warrior's will. At first, the dancer's movements are studied and careful, as if he were seeking out foes in an unfamiliar place. When he reaches the middle of the stage, however, hesitation gives way to self-assurance. He rises on his toes to his full stature, his body motionless with quivering limbs. In a flash, he whirls on one leg and his face renders the storm of passions of a quick-tempered warrior.

Barong Dance
The natural world of the Balinese is one held in balance by two opposing forces: the benign, beneficial to man, and the malign, inimical to humanity. The destructive power of sickness and death is associated with the latter force and the evil influence of black magic.

If black magic prevails, a village fails into danger, and extensive purification ceremonies become necessary to restore a proper equilibrium for the health of the community. Dramatic art is also a means of cleansing the village by strengthening its resistance to harmful forces through offerings, prayers and acts of exorcism.

Such is the symbolic play of the Barong and Rangda. Barong, a mystical creature with a curved tail, represents the affirmative, the protector of mankind, the glory of the high sun, and the spirits associated with white magic. The widow witch Rangda is the complement. She rules the evil spirits and witches who haunt the graveyards late at night. Her habitat is darkness, and she practices black magic.

At the end of the play, the kris dancers are revived with water that has been dipped in the beard of the Barong, which is made of human hair and is considered to be the most sacred part of the Barong. A final offering is made to the evil spirits by spilling the blood of a live chicken.

Beliefs
In practicing their faith, Hindu communities try to achieve a spiritual balance of worship between Tattwa (philosophy), Susila (morals), and Upacara (rituals). These three areas are subdivided into various tenets. The Tattwa has five principal beliefs: Brahman, the belief in the existence of one almighty god head; Atman, the belief in the soul and the spirit; Samsara, the belief in reincarnation; Karma, the belief in the law of reciprocal actions; and Moksha, the belief in the possibility of unity with the divine (Nirwana). The Susila places emphasis on three major rules for behavior: to think good thoughts, to be honest, and to do good deeds. The religion is taught in other forms as well. The most popular of these are the Purana, or morality plays, and the Itihasa, or epic poems, such as the Ramayana and Mahabarata epics. Shadow puppet plays, operas, ballets, and other forms of drama are also vehicles of religious teaching in Bali

Carving
Stone Carving : Stone carvings are mainly used to decorate temples and palaces. There is little difference between the iconography decorating temples (pura) and that of private buildings.
Wood Carving : Wood carving, like stone carving, has traditionally featured largely in temple and palace architecture with little free standing 'sculpture' work produced commercially. Immaculately carved demons and mythical beings decorate pillars, door panels, and window shutters with the aim of protecting the buildings from evil intruders.

Community
Most of Bali's people live in villages of 2,000 to 4,000 people on the fertile southern slopes of the island. It is usually only a few minutes walk from one village to the next by road or through open rice fields. On the northern coastal strip, the villages are spread along the Java Sea. Traditionally, the social organization of the island was based on the village unit, with each village providing all needs and functions from birth through cremation. The social organization of the village is one of the most unique aspects of Bali. The layout of a Balinese village and the lives of its members, for example, are closely tied to religion. The center of a village is usually an ancient and gnarled banyan tree, banyan trees being regarded as sacred and believed to be the first trees on earth. Language is a complex matter in Bali. Basically there are two different Balinese languages. The common or 'low' language is of Malayopolynesian derivation while the 'high' language of the higher castes is a Javanese court language largely derived from Sanskrit. A commoner uses the high language when speaking to a member of a higher caste, but he may be replied to in low language. A polite, "middle" language has also emerged. In addition, the official state language of Indonesian is taught in school.

Gamelan
Balinese music is based on the gamelan orchestra, unique in the world. Gamelan music is almost completely percussion. Though it sounds strange at first with its noisy percussion, most listeners find that it soon becomes exciting and enjoyable. Many villages throughout Bali have gamelan groups whose performances can be heard in venues ranging from village community centers to luxury hotels.

Jangger Dance
The flute begins an eerie tune, and faraway voices chant a strange song that flows from a loud melody to a nearly inaudible high pitch. Two girl singers appear wearing splendid, floral crowns with multi-coiored spikes. They advance, allowing another pair to enter, until twelve girls have filed on stage. Slowly they kneel opposite each other, cocking their heads and darting their eyes to accent the rhythm of the orchestra. As the chanting continues, young men silently repeat the girls' entrance. In contrast to feminine delicacy, their movements are deliberate and strong. All wear painted moustaches. Suddenly, the male formation breaks into frenzied activity of twists, jerks and lunges. Instantly, the shock wave ceases, the men freeze in their positions, and the lonely flute carries the dance back to the soft sways and chanting of the girls. A folk dance introduced to the island in the thirties, the origin is in the Sanghyang trance ceremony in which the women chant the Sanghyang song and the men alternate with the gruff sounds of the Kecak.

Kebyar Dance
The Kebyar Dance is a male solo dance like the Baris. There are various forms of Kebyar including the Kebyar Duduk and Kebyar Trompong.

Kecek Dance
A serpentine stream of bodies coils itself, circle within circle, around a large, branching torch. The half-seen multitude waits in silence. A priest enters with offerings and blessings of holy water. One piercing voice cracks the suspense; the circle electrifies. No other dance is so unnerving as the amazing Kecak: dozens to hundreds of men who, by a regimented counterplay of sounds, simulate the orchestration of the gamelan. The now-famous Kecak dance was created in the early 20th century by the famous German painter, Walter Spies, who was resident in Bali at the time. It represents Spies' reincarnation of the male chorus of the ritual Sanghyang trance ceremony. Choreography transforms the ingeniously simple chorus into ecstasy. The cries, the erratic pulses of sound, and the sublimated violence of the kecak are perfectly contained in the precise use of a few basic motions of heads, arms, and torsos.

Nyepi
Nyepi is the Balinese New Year's Day according to their calendar and is honored through obligatory fasting, inactivity, prayer, and silence throughout the island for 24 hours. Great purification offerings are made in every village on the day before to appease the evil spirits, and lively exorcisms are held. Large gangs of youth and children roam the villages bearing burning torches, various noisemaking devices, and giant monsters of bamboo, wood, and paper to scare evil spirits away.

Pendet Dance
Pendet is the presentation of an offering in the form of a ritual dance. Unlike the exhibition dances that demand arduous training, Pendet may be danced by anyone. It is taught simply by imitation. Younger girls follow the movements of the elder women, who recognize their responsibility in setting a good example. Proficiency comes with age. As a religious dance, Pendet is usually performed during temple ceremonies. All dancers carry in their right hand a small offering of incense, cakes, water vessels, or flower formations. With these they dance from shrine to shrine within the temple. Pendet may be performed intermittently throughout the day and late into the night during temple feasts.

Ramayana Ballet
Basically, the Ramayana Ballet tells the same story of Rama and Sita as told in the Kecak (see Kecak Dance) but without the monkey ensemble and with a normal gamelan orchestra. Rites of Passage The Balinese believe that the individual soul is reincarnated into many lifetimes until, through numerous struggles and stages, it achieves union with the divine. It is the duty of every Balinese to have children as vessels for ancestors' spirits to be reincarnated. A man does not become a full member of his banjar until he is a father. Children are loved and highly prized in Bali, especially male children, as they carry the blood line of the family and also look after the burial and cremation of their parents.

Suraswati
Saraswati is the goddess of learning and is honored once a Balinese year with a holiday. Paradoxically, no one is allowed to read or write on this day, and offerings are made to books of learning.

Topeng Dance
A Topeng Dance is one in which the dancers have to imitate the characters represented by their masks. A full collection of Topeng masks may number 30 or 40.