With Bali being a culturally-rich island that it is there are no shortages of art. The Balinese excel in all artforms, but no form of art rivals the exquisiteness of Balinese dances. With the tricky hand flourishes and elegant swerving Balinese dances are a sight to behold. Out of the many dances, perhaps the most exclusive are the ritual dances. These dances are hard to get into as they are only reserved for the entertainment of gods and goddesses.
Balinese dances are separated into three broad categories: sacred, ritual and performance. Now, we’ll talk about the highest order of dances, the tari wali or sacred dances.
As the name implies wali dances are restricted only for use in temple ceremonies. Wali dances are presented as a form of an intangible offering for the gods. Since the dances are sacred only trained dancers are allowed to perform. Likewise, the dances can only be performed in the jeroan of a temple (known as the inner sanctum) where the priest leads the ceremony. Since the sacred dances are only religious symbols they often do not tell a story.
Some of the sacred dances that are often performed during ceremonies include the Rejang Dewa, Tari Baris, Barong and Sang Hyang. The Rejang Dewa is often performed by young girls but older women can also dance. The dance starts slowly but progresses to a quicker tempo. It is meant to show dedication and gratitude to the gods. The Tari Baris is the opposite of the Rejang. Danced by men (either solo or in groups), the Baris dance represents the warrior spirit of the Balinese. The Barong dance performed by two dancers in a barong costume shows the fierce barong in motion. Pouncing here and there, biting and clawing, the barong fights against the forces of evil. The Sang Hyang dance is reserved for purification ceremonies. In fact, it is so sacred that it is never open to the public. The dancer is believed to have been possessed by a spirit. The people present then communicate with the spirit to gain insight on incoming evil or how to purify a location from evil.
So, those are some examples of the sacred dances in Bali. Though getting entrance to see these dances is pretty hard you can’t miss an opportunity to see these beautiful dances!
