The Essence of Balinese Dance
Many unique culture and tradition can be found in Bali. People who come to this island find themselves admire those cultures and tradition and crafted it in their head as unforgettable moment. One of those traditions is Balinese Dance. There are many kind of dance in Bali, and each of them is varied each other. But still those dances hold the same core as it is managed by the movement of body gesture, eyes and gamelan –traditional musical instrument- in one harmony of music and the whole body gesture.
It can be said that there is clear indication that dance and drama is closely tied with religion and it have played a central role in Balinese life since time immemorial. Following the fall of Balinese kingdom at the beginning of 20th century, the focus for dance and drama were shifted from the royal court to the villages. In Balinese dance, considerable Indian influence is evident. Balinese dance costumes, with their glittering headdresses and elaborate jewellery are clearly of Hindu-Javanese origin and, as in Java, Balinese dancers adopt the basic Indian stance.
But, unlike Javanese, who developed slow, controlled, continuous movements performed with eyes downcast and limbs close to the body, the Balinese dancers are charged with energy, eyes agape, dating this way and that, high-stepping, arms up, moving with quick, cat like bursts that would startle a Javanese. The Balinese distinguish between dances that are sacred (wali), ceremonial (bebali) and simply for watching (balih-balihan). The last category of dances appears to have developed exclusively among the nobility, but they are now performed by villagers as part of ceremonial repertoire.
