3rd March, 2019

I have just realised that the title of the last blog included the word ‘Dancing’ but that that was last mention of it. Well, here we go to rectify that. Effectively we signed up for the BBQ at the resort, which included a show of traditional Balinese music and dancing. Now I expected a couple of musicians and maybe 3 dancers, but it was much more than that. We had a whole orchestra, a borong (like an enormous Dougal from the Magic Roundabout) and a number of beautifully presented dancers.

The orchestra plays gamelan music, a jangly clashing of syncopated sounds described by one writer as ‘an oriental ultra-modern Bach fugue, an astounding combination of bells, machinery and thunder’.

First up we had the Panyembrahma Dance, which is a welcome dance for important guests and is usually performed by women.

Next we had the Barong Dance. The barong is a shaggy-haired creature with bug-eyes and a mischievous grin, a cross between a pantomime horse and a Chinese dragon. There is also, usually, a monkey, who causes mischief. Overall it is a tale of good versus evil, though interestingly ends in a stalemate, with the two protagonists ready to clash again in the future. We were given a taste of the ‘Calonarang’, who is a witch queen who is furious at the lack of suitors for her daughter and demands her followers wreak havoc on the villagers. Whenever there are considered to be evil forces at work and impurities affecting the community, the dance is often performed by the whole village.

Next we had the Oleg Tamulilingan (Bee) Dance. The female bumblebee is innocently flying among the flowers and a mischievous male bumblebee chases and tries to court her. Eventually she succumbs and falls happily in love.

Lastly we had the Candrawasih or Bird Dance, a story inspired from the beautiful feather of the Blibis Bird.

Some of the musicians were very photogenic.

And finally, we had a chance to line up with the dancers themselves….

So that was that. Very impressive and most enjoyable.

More soon……