Performance In Bali

A brief survey of performance types in Bali could be represented in two  main ways. One could be a family tree that shows the three main root forms: Sanghyang, Wayang Kulit and Gambuh (each dealt with in separate chapters of this book) and their descendant forms such as Wayang Wong from Wayang Kulit, Topeng from Gambuh, etc. However, this rapidly gets complicated as it becomes clear that over the centuries new forms evolve from influence by multiple forms rather than a single earlier form. The other method, as follows, is through the usually accepted groupings of sacred,semi-sacred and secular. However, although this is simpler to describe, this too is inaccurate as some forms jump between categories according to the situation and the forms themselves divide into sub-forms appropriate for different functions; Topeng can be found, for example, in sacred and secular circumstances. An additional category of ‘other’ is necessary too! So, the list is neither comprehensive nor precise, but it reflects generally held views on what constitutes main performance genres in Bali. The list does not include the many variations of forms and the full range of ritual genres sometimes described as magical performances.

Sacred

1. Berutuk: An ancient rare fertility-related drama, rarely performed, only in one village, Trunyan, in the north of Bali.
2. Sanghyang: A trance, purification ceremony and dance, rarely performed, mainly in the Kintamani region in the north of Bali.
3. Baris Gede: A military-inspired dance by a group of male performers, associated especially with the Odalan temple ceremony. Non-sacred variations with different names exist.
4. Rejang: Processional dance by a group of female performers, frequently performed throughout Bali for numerous temple ceremonies.
5. Wayang Lemah: Translated as ‘daytime puppet’, this is a sacred version of performance, parallel in many ways to Wayang Kulit but does not use a shadow screen and is played for the gods rather than a human audience.
6. Topeng Pajegan: One-man masked performance. Other connected forms use more performers. Mendet: Performed by pairs of male dancers, mainly for the Odalan ceremony.
7. Gabor: Female equivalent to the Mendet dance, also performed in pairs

Semi-sacred

1. Gambuh: The oldest known classical dance form, performed at many ceremonies.
2. Wayang Kulit: The ancient shadow-puppet genre that is also a root for many other performance forms.
3. Wayang Wong: Derived in part from Wayang and Gambuh, the performance centres on stories from the Ramayana. Thename translates as ‘human puppet’ and uses many different types of masks.
4. Barong Ket: A purification dance featuring a mythical creature who protects the village and drives away evil spirits. This performance genre has many variations. The performances use a huge mask and body costume worn by two dancers who perform movements that are similar in some ways to the Chinese lion dance.

Secular

1. Legong: Performed by three young female dancers and derived from Sanghyang. Often performed for temple festivals in the outer temple courtyard.
2. Arja: This is sometimes described as opera or sung dancedrama. This popular form has various versions and it is performed by males and females. The stories usually concern romance and are sung in a special verse form, tembang macapat.
3. Kebyar: Dating from the 1920s, this dance has a strong choral base. Pairs of males and females perform it. In the past, political messages were carried through performances. There are connections to Sanghyang choral singing. An offshoot of this form, Oleg Tumulilingan, a courting dance between two bees, has become especially popular in recent years.
4. Parwa: A genre developed in the late nineteenth century, derived in part from a mixture of influences including Gambuh and Wayang Kulit. The source material is the Mahabharata and the performers mix spoken and sung text.
5. Prembon: The genre is sometimes performed as part of Odalan ceremonies as well as for completely secular events. Dating from the 1940s, it mixes many different characters from diverse roots, including from Topeng, Arja and Gambuh.
6. Janger: Dating from the early part of the twentieth century, this form has elements suggesting Western influence in scenic and costumes designs and some gestures. It also borrows from Baris, Kebyar and Legong.
7. Topeng Panca: This masked genre from the nineteenth century is an offshoot from Topeng Pajegan in a fully secularised form.Unlike the one-man Pajegan form, Topeng Panca uses five performers and emphasises the comic elements. There are additional character masks that are not used in the one-man version.
8. Cakapung: This performance genre is based around a male choral group and often includes humorous improvised dance movements relating to other forms such as Gambuh, Kebyar and Topeng. It is found in the Karangasem region. The origins are unclear but some think they go back as far as the seventeenth century. It is a form that has no connection to ceremonies or religious events and is sometimes described as a ‘social performance’.
9. Joged: This is perhaps the best-known social performance genre and has many offshoots and variations. The main type is Joged Bumbung and dates from the late nineteenth century. This genre is often found at weddings and other social gatherings. Female dancers demonstrate a flirtatious performance and then select male audience members to dance with them. Some movements suggest connection to Legong. There are various offshoots or sub-forms, some more serious in content.
10. Kecak: Many commentators believe that German artist Walter Spies choreographed this dance-drama in the 1920s. It is derived mainly from the male choral work present in Sanghyang. Others, however, believe the origins were all local as the Ramayana story merged with Sanghyang traditions at an earlier point in Balinese history. It is a favourite with tourists today and is a spectacular performance, featuring a large circle of male chorus members with the Ramayana dance in the centre as the chorus move their arms and bodies as they sit on the ground and sing complex interlocking chants in syncopated rhythms.

Other classifications

• Calonarang: This is the best-known performance that features the battles between Barong and Rangda, the evil witch. The performance sometimes involves trance, according to the circumstances of performance. More commonly, in the tourist versions it is a secular performance without trance. However, in the pure exorcistic form it is classified as a holy dance depicting the eternal fightbetween good and evil. When trance does occur it can sometimes affect onlookers as well as the performer of Rangda. Followers of Rangda attack the witch with kris (daggers).

• In addition to Calonarang, a number of other dances/rituals/masks are connected to exorcism, trance and magic and possession. Wayang Calonarang is an example of a variation on the usual Wayang as during these performances the dalang (master puppeteer) specifically challenges black magic practitioners to engage in battle with him. Onying, as another example, involves villagers attempting, but failing, to stab themselves with a kris whilst in a state of heightened trance and possession. Other such rituals with similar aims and also use masks and trance. In addition, a number of recent, emerging forms exist that are too numerous to list for the purpose of this book. Most are, again, offshoots or branches from genres already described above. The major new form is Sendratari, based around an adaptation of some gesture from Kebyar and influenced by the new form of the same name developed in Java in the early 1960s. Sendratari involves, essentially, storytelling in a style closer than most Balinese forms to Western ideas of narrative, in spite of the decorative, traditional elements surrounding it.