Ubud's Kecak Dance: Enchanting Tradition - Indonesia Travel (2024)
A visit to the dramatic island of Bali will not be complete without watching some of the most captivating traditional performances the island has to offer. Aside from Barong and Janger Dances, another dazzling performance you definitely don’t want to miss is the traditional Kecak Dance, one of Balinese artistic masterpieces in the form of a dance and musical drama.
Held in the open air at sunset , usually above a cliff facing the sea, the drama depends entirely on the natural light of day. Starting at dusk, the story continues into the dark, when only light comes only from flickering bamboo torches.
What makes this dance particularly unique is that the drama uses no artificial backdrop, involving no musical instrument. The focus is entirely on the concentric circles of about 50-60 men, bare-chested, wearing only distinct Balinese sarongs sitting cross-legged around a set of torches in the center.
Instead of the traditional “gamelan” orchestra which usually accompanies other Balinese traditional performances, the Kecak is simply accompanied by the chanting of the chorus of men representing an army of monkeys continuously intoning “Cak! Cak! Cak!” or “Keh-Chak" in polyrhythmic sounds during almost the entire performance. This amazing human voiced orchestra is led by a soloist, who is in charge of indicating the high and low notes, and also acts as narrator. The effect, after a while, is to provide a wall of dramatic sound against which the action of the play is enacted.
The performance relates the shorter version of the epic Ramayana Saga with dancers playing as Rama, Shinta (Sita), Lakshmana, Rahwana (Ravana), Hanoman (Hanuman), Sugriwa (Sugriva), and other characters. The storyline starts when Prince Rama wanders into the woods with his wife Shinta and brother Lakshmana. There, the giant Rahwana kidnaps Shinta and holds her in his palace. Rama then seeks help and sends Lakhsmana to find his friend Sugriwa, the King of the Monkey Kingdom. Sugriwa sends his commander the white monkey, by the name of Hanoman, to check on Shinta in Rahwana’s Palace.
A dramatic scene is portrayed when Hanoman is captured by Rahwana’s troops and put inside a circle of fire to burn him alive. Instead of burning to crisp, the white monkey warrior remains unharmed and breaks out only to burn Rahwana’s palace instead. Thus, began the battle between the two forces.
At first, Rahwana and his troops manage to overrun Rama. However, Sugriwa and Hanoman then come to Rama’s aid along with the rest of the monkey troops, defeat the evil king once and for all.
Kecak Dance is said to originate from a Balinese ancient ritual called Sanghyang, aimed as a form of exorcism or to repel evil spirits in which dancers fall into a trance. The dance first appeared in 1930, after Balinese Dancer, Wayan Limbak worked together with German painter Walter Spies to create a dramatic performance version of the Sanghyang by incorporating the epic Ramayana saga. They took the innovation on a world tour, thus the dance became popular ever since.
Kecak Dance is regularly performed in many places all over Bali Island. However, the best place to watch this spectacular show is at the Pura Uluwatu, where the dance is performed daily with as background the dramatic sunset. The dance can also be found at Tanah Lot, GWK Cultural Park, Pura Dalem Ubud, Padang Tegal Stage, Batubulan, Umadewi Stage, and more.
What makes this dance particularly unique is that the drama uses no artificial backdrop, involving no musical instrument. The focus is entirely on the concentric circles of about 50-60 men, bare-chested, wearing only distinct Balinese
Balinese
Balinese culture is a mix of Balinese Hindu-Buddhist religion and Balinese customs. It is perhaps most known for its dance, drama, and sculpture. The island is also known for its Wayang Kulit or Shadow play theatre.
Kecak was originally a trance ritual accompanied by a male chorus. In the 1930s, Walter Spies, a German painter and musician, became deeply interested in the ritual while living in Bali. He adapted it as a drama based on the Hindu Ramayana and including dance, intended for performance before Western tourist audiences.
Kecak Dance Uluwatu lasts for 60 minutes. Are there any places to eat at Uluwatu Temple before Kecak Show? Can I bring along my own food/beverages from outside? Yes, you can.
Kecak Dance is regularly performed in many places all over Bali Island. However, the best place to watch this spectacular show is at the Pura Uluwatu, where the dance is performed daily with as background the dramatic sunset.
The Kecak dance of today gets its roots from the traditional sacred Balinese dance of Sanghyang, an important religious dance based on the concept that an unseen force, known as a hyang (translating to god, goddess, deified being or divinity), enters the body and puts the performer into a trance-like state.
Dance is often an important part of religious rituals. These rituals may include celebrations, sacrificial ceremonies, or other religious events. The dance movements in this ritual often have deep symbolic meaning and are considered a means of facilitating communication between the human and spiritual realms.
Before visiting the palace, I am sure you may have a question about what should wear to Ubud Palace? So the most of visitors are wearing short and sandal when entering the palace ground. Therefore there is no specific dress code. If you want to wear a sarong, it is also fine.
The name Ubud comes from the Balinese word Ubad that means medicine, inspired by the abundance of medicinal plants and herbs in this region. If you're looking for peace and quiet, then Ubud is the place to be.
If you are keen to immerse yourself more and continue the cultural experience, you can watch the traditional Balinese dance performance at night which lasts around 1.5 hours. The Palace starts to open from 08.00 AM – 06.00 PM, while the traditional dance performance starts from 07.30 PM – 09.00 PM.
The Kecak Dance is one of the most unique performances in Bali and if you have the time during your visit to the temple at Uluwatu, it makes for a great way to spend an hour at sunset.
To watch Kecak Dance in Uluwatu, visitors need to buy an entrance ticket to Uluwatu temple for IDR 50,000 for adults and IDR 30,000 for children aged 4-9 years. Meanwhile, the ticket to watch the Kecak Dance attraction is IDR 150,000 per person.
Uluwatu Kecak Dance Bali is usually held every evening exactly at 18.00 o'clock at an open stage near the temple. The stage is about 1.400 audience capacity.
The best time to watch the Kecak dance at Uluwatu is during the sunset, usually around 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This way, you can witness the beautiful sunset over the Indian Ocean as the backdrop for the performance.
The performers of Bali's Kecak dance don costumes specific to the characters they represent. The majority of men, forming a circle to create the performance's choral sounds, wear sarongs and black and white cloth around their waists, often adorned with body paint on their upper bodies.
It's an entirely vocal performance with no musical instruments used and as their bodies begin to sway, they start to chant, “chak-ke-chak” over and over. The chant begins slowly but then speeds up as the performance proceeds. The performers then act out the story using the Ramayana monkey chant as their sonic backdrop.
The male dancers who dance Kecak will shout the word 'Cak Cak Cak'. From that sound, then the name of the dance is Kecak Dance. In addition to shouting, Kecak Dance music also comes from the sound of rattle tied to the legs of dancers who spread the Ramayana figures.
Cham is a performance of masked and costumed dance performed within the context of Vajrayana ritual ceremonies in the Himalayan region. The dance unfolds from within a state of meditation. Some dances reflect particular stories from the life of Padmasambhava.
Jackson and Hokowhitu state, "haka is the generic name for all types of dance or ceremonial performance that involve movement." The various types of haka include whakatū waewae, tūtū ngārahu and peruperu.
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