Sacred vs. secular dances
There are literally hundreds of dance forms in Bali, from the
starkly simple Rejang to the highly intricate Legong. Concerns
about the impact of tourism caused a team of scholars to convene
in 1971 to determine which dances were to be deemed sacred and
which secular, so as to keep the sacred ones from becoming secularized.
The result was that all dances were placed into three categories
depending on the area of the temple in which they are performed,
and this has now become the standard classification system used
for Balinese dance forms.
Wali dances are those performed or originating in the jeroan or
innermost courtyard of the temple. It is here that the sacred
icons are kept and worshipped, and these forms are often group
dances with no dramatic elements. They are considered indigenously
Balinese, and as with all Balinese dances, are performed to propitiate
the ancestral spirits. Rejang, Baris Gede and Sanghyang trance
dances all fall into this category.
Bebali dances are ceremonial - performed in the jaba tengah or
middle courtyard of the temple. This is the meeting point of the
divine and the worldly, and these are mostly dance dramas whose
stories derive from the Hindu-Javanese epics. These include Gambuh
and Wayang Wong.
Balih-balihan dances are secular and performed in the jaba or
outer courtyard, usually beyond the prescribed sacred space itself
(although often this space will be consecrated by a priest before
the performance). Into this category fall a number of classical
and modern forms like Legong, Baris, Arja, Kebyar, Sendratari
and others.
As with most things Balinese, these categories are not rigidly
adhered to. Dance dramas may be performed in the jeroan and magically
charged sacred dances may be held in the jaba. As the Balinese
are fond of saying, everything has a place, a time and a circumstance
(desa, kala, patra) and things vary greatly from district to district,
from village to village and even from time to time. The performing
arts are no exception, which is why you'll see barongs in different
villages that are extremely different. This variety is one of
the delights of Bali.
Sacred processions
The most truly indigenous dances of Bali are the sacred rejang,
baris gede and mendet, which are considered temple "offerings"
in and of themselves. These are usually performed in stately lines
by groups of men or women, with an occasional priest or priestess
leading, in the jeroan of the temple. The dancers often bear holy
water and offerings which they present to the gods.
On the first days of an odalan temple festival, the Rejang and
Baris Gede are usually performed in the early morning, sometimes
in tandem. The Rejang dance consists of a procession of females
ranging in age from two up to eighty. They move in a slow and
stately fashion toward the altar, twirling fans or lifting their
hip sashes. Costumes range from simple temple attire (Batuan)
to elaborate gold headdresses and richly woven cloths (Asak and
Tenganan).
Baris dances are rooted in courtly rituals of war; the term
baris refers to a formation of warriors. In the Baris Gede or
Upacara, a weapon of some sort is used, while in the Baris Pendet
an offering is carried. Various Baris dances are named after the
particular weapon involved, and a mock battle between two warriors
is often re-enacted. Trance sometimes occurs, and the main function
of this dance is devotional - it matters not if the dancers are
in unison with one another or with the music, or if they dance
with precision. Baris Upacara may be seen in mountain villages
near Batur, in the Sanur area, in Tabanan, and now in the Ubud
area.
Late at night at the end of a temple festival, a Mendet dance
is performed by the married women of the village, though in some
cases young women and girls join in as well. The women carry woven
offering baskets, holy water, or libations of distilled liquor
to offer up to the gods on their divine journey home. A procession
is formed and they weave around the temple grounds, stopping before
each shrine to offer up their gifts. Mendet, like Rejang and Baris
Upacara, is not taught but learned in performance.
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