Kecak(dance of fire and light) in Ubud,Bali Indonesia

Kecak is the most unique balinese dance which is not accompanied by any orchestra/gamelan but by a choir of a hundred men. It has it's origin in an old ritual dance:"Sanghyang" or trance dance. In the Sanghyang dance a person in a state of trance communicates with the dieties or ancestors. Using the dancers as a medium, the dieties or ancestors convey their wishes. In the 1930's, the old indian epic ramayana was included into the dance. Sanghyang dance developed from the essential religious function of maintaining the health and well being of the village. They are performed to drive evil spirits away and stop them from infesting the community in the form of sickness and death. Described here is Sanghyang dedari, a ritual dance where it is believed a divine spirit temporarily descends into a villager and reveals it self through the entranced dance. Sanghyang is the title given to a divine spirit and means "holiness" dedari means "Angels" and describes the trance ceremony. Dance by two little girls who are always underage, for a virgin child is considered holy. In the sanghyang, the dancers are put into trance prior to dancing, set upon the ground between female choir and male chorus. The little dancers sway freely in dreamy version of the legong. Their movements coincide automatically, although their eyes never open during the entire performance. When the chanting stops, the girls jump to the ground. They are brought out of the trance by the pemangku, who prays beside them and blesses them with holy water.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• kecak
• bali
• indonesia