What's That Dance

Indonesian

Just as the country of Indonesia is made up of many different islands, there are a variety of Indonesian styles of dance. The dances most people will see performed and be most familiar with will be either from Java or Bali.

In these dance styles, dance, drama and music are all woven together – the music provided by the gamelan – essentially an instrumental ensemble that’s easily identified due to its distinctive sound, made by gongs, drums,bells and metal chimes. The gamelan is claimed to have been created by a Javanese king in the third century, and has kept its ceremonial function while also evolving into a modern folk form.

Each dance tells a story, with many of them originating with the Hindu epic, Ramayana. This story deals with the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king and some say the original version dates back to the fourth century BC.



Becoming a dancer requires many years of training, and its quite common for young children to begin their training under an expert’s eye at a very young age. Indonesian dances tend to be very precise, jerky and abrupt. They are very expressive and incorporate the whole body – dramatic movements including hands, fingers and eyes are all part and parcel of these dance forms.

Tourists to Bali will likely see the best known dance, the Kecak. It tells the Ramayana story involving Prince Rama, his abducted wife Sita and the evil King Lanka. As is common in all Balinese dances, good triumphs over evil in the end.

Here is a sample of another Balinese dance, the Tari Puspanjali. The dance begins with the striking sounds of the gamelan before the dancers enter the scene. As you can see, costumes, make-up, hair and accessories all play an important role to create a vivid impression and enhance the viewing experience for the audience.

LISTEN
Orchestra: Gamelan Angklung
Piece: "Kreteg Layang (Bridge Fly)"

Photo by truerivero via Flickr (cc)

By Joanna Gertler
(published November 25, 2010)