An indispensable part of the ritual
feasts of the old villages is the baris gede, a stately war dance
in which ten or twelve middle-aged warriors with their beads covered
with flowers, wearing magic scarves, and carrying long spears
tipped with peacock feathers, dance in double line, grimacing
and striking heroic poses until the music becomes violent, when
they enact a sham battle with their black and silver spears.
No dance in the world can be manlier than the baris. Just as the
legong is the representative feminine dance, so the baris typifies
the strong elegance of the male and is the source of material
for all masculine dances. When the first turkey came to Bali,
the Balinese inmediately named it siap baris, the " baris
bird." Remaining essentially a war dance, the style of the
ritual baris was later adapted to the performance of heroic plays
in the baris pende't, in which individual dancers play the military
heroes, using dramatic dialogues to accompany their movement.
Every well-educated prince must be able to dance the baris when
he enters middle age, having undergone a rigorous training to
obtain the necessary skill and flexibility. To be in trim to dance
the baris, one must be able to sit on one's beels keeping the
knees spread wide apart in line with the body. A good dancer of
baris, besides a finished physical training and an expressive
face, must also have a cultivated, sonorous voice. It is essential
that an actor with a “fine " face, who plays youthful
heroes, have -a high-pitched voice, while an actor who plays "
strong," rough characters should have a deep, resonant voice
to match the qualities of his face. A good dancer of baris, according
to Balinese standards, is rare. The music for the baris, played
by a. gamelan gong, consists, of striking standard melodies with
contrasting interludes that indicate the steps and the moods portrayed
by the dancer, every part of his body, from his toes to the tips
of his fingers, is in action during the dance. Every muscle of
his -face is controlled at will to render the storm of passions
expressed by the quickrtempered warrior; expressions of admiration
and wonder at aninvisible magic world all around him, surprise
and rage at imaginary enemies, pleasure, tenderness, and love.
But as the music grows more violent, the dancer becomes more and
more tense, raising himself.on his toes until he gives the impression
of growing in height; his eyes seem ready to jump from their sockets,
his whole body trembles, making the flowers of his headdress shake
violently. So raised on his toes and with his whole body at high
nervous tension, he slaps. his thigh and points an accusing finger
at his enemy, as with wild yells of "Wahl " " Adoh,
adoh! " be draws his kris and struts aggressively towards
his foe, who comes forward at the same moment; before they meet,
the dancers stop defiantly, cursing each other, and when the clash
comes, with tiger-like grace they perform a stylized duel to music,
in which the routing of one of the characters indicates the end
of the dance.
The ritual baris gede, baris tumbak-, has an exorcizing character
and is invariably danced at important cremations and,in the feasts
of the un-Javanized villages. It appears to be a native of Bali.
There is a particularly magic baris, called baris tekok djgo,
in which the dancers are dressed in magic black and white chequered
cloth (Polen) and gringsing scarfs, which is prescribed for cremations
in Badung; but in Sanur there is a group that dances in all-white
clothes.
The characteristic part of the baris costume is ihe head-dress
with its high triangle of white cloth (udeng-udengan), worn at
the back of the head, and a diadem of fresh tjempaka flowers in
the front, set in wires and arranged in rows, ending in spirals
at each side of the head. The dancer of baris pendet wears skin-tight
trousers (dial6r) and a little coat with tight sleeves (kwatji).
Over his breast a scarf (umpal) is tied, and from it hang many
narrow strips (Jelanti2r) of cloth overlaid with goldleaf, giving
the dancer the aspect of an enormous gilt cabbage. On his back
he wears a kris with gold handle. The word baris means “in
line," “military formation."
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