The Legong Kraton

The dynamic Legong Dance is the epitome of classical female Balinese dancing. A court dance, it was created in the 18th century in the circles of the principality of Sukawati. Now including a variety of modern "free creations" (tari lepas), the legong is usually the first dance taught to beginners. Months of training are needed to master the perfect mix of posture (tangkep), movements and mimicry. Three dancers in glittering costumes - one condong lady-in-waiting and two princesses whose roles change according to the narrative - usually perform it. The ancient legong used to have a storyteller's accompaniment, but these days they are only dance performances.

The Gambuh

The Gambuh is the oldest classical dance in Bali, probably introduced at the time of the Majapahit culture. At a hauntingly slow tempo, the gambuh dance drama tells episodes from the story of Panji's search for his beloved in the kingdoms of Eastern Java. Now retained in only a few villages (notably Batuan and Pedungan), the gambuh combines the best of both female and male Balinese dancing. An unusual feature is the use of long bamboo flutes instead of the complete set of gamelan and gongs.

The Topeng Mask

This mask dance relates the tales of Balinese and Javanese ancestors returning temporarily to inhabit the mask. Nowadays, the main stories, with their princes and clowns, are preceded by a set of solo mask dances for men - the "topeng keras", or dance of the "strong warrior", the "topeng tua" - a fantastic dance showing the advance of old age in the king's old counselors, and the "topeng dalem" showing the king in all his glory with enough clowns to fill a circus.

Pendet & Panyembrana

These dances are performed to welcome visiting gods, who are presented with offerings of flowers. Nowadays tourists are also showered with flowers.

The Kebyar

The renewal of the arts during the 30s saw a surge in dance creativity, producing dances that are still the most popular in Bali: short but spectacular non-narrative dances inspired by the dynamism of the gong kebyar, a gamelan orchestra originating from Northern Bali. The most famous are the kebyar duduk and kebyar trompong. These two dances were created by Mario, a Balinese dance genius from this century. They are displays of suppleness and virtuosity, particularly the kebyar trompong, with the dancer playing the trompong instrument while dancing.

The Joged

The Joged Bumbung is one of the few exclusively secular dances of Bali, in which the brightly-dressed dancer invites men from the crowd to dance with her in a pretence of seduction. The music is made with bumbung (bamboo) instruments. This dance is very popular with tourists.
The dance begins with a long opening sequence by the female dancer. Then, long shawl in her hand, she selects a man from the audience by either pointing with her fan or touching his waist. He (the pengibing) comes on stage to hoots from the audience, and is expected to be as adept at teasing as the women dancer. The better he is, the louder the cheers and roars from the crowd. He may try to pinch her, dance hip to hip with her, or even behave like an angry lover and try to hit her.

The Wayang

The wayang puppet show is perhaps the most famous show in Balinese theatre, albeit the most difficult to understand. Basically an epic narrative, it is the key to Bali's unique world of myths, symbols and religious beliefs.
The puppet master, or dalang, tells his story by projecting the shadows of the puppets he manipulates behind a white screen and a large lamp. He plays several characters at once, shifting from Old-Javanese to High-Balinese, singing and hitting a box to mark the rhythm. A good dalang is a one-man-show, being in turns smart, funny and. melancholic.
The dalang borrows the frame of his narrative from the great epics of the Indo-Javanese tradition, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, although other stories may sometimes be used. He then creates his own episodes, usually concerning a hero's quest for a magical weapon, heavenly secret or partner. The hero, accompanied by buffoons, succeeds eventually after tortuous adventures in the wilderness and fights with evil giants. The two sets of puppets n the heroes on the right, villains on the left - symbolize the eternal struggle between good and evil. But for the audience, the dalang's ability to poke fun at everyone through the mouths of the buffoons is no less important than the narrative.

Other Dances
The arja opera: a classical dance with stories from the pre-Majapahit era.
The baris: a young warriors' dance performed by young male dancers.
The baris gede: two warrior groups with long spears attack each other.
The jauk: a monster with long nails goes through both joy and sadness.
The Sang Hyang Dedari: young girls go into trances on the shoulders of older men, part of a ceremony welcoming the gods.
The Sang Hyang Jaran: men trample on burning embers while "riding" brooms in this fire dance.
The Wayang Wong: a Ramayana dance using ancient masks.