About the Balinese Theatre and Dance

Balinese theater and dance are closely related. Bali indeed use the same word - sesolahan - for two. Until the conquest of Bali in the early Twentieth Century and the arrival of Europeans, nearly all of the performance is dramatical, often involves a combination of dance, sing and act it lasted all night, and drawing on a vast canon of literature that included India and Indonesia and the epic story of other places. Europeans want a short but interesting piece without narration or dialogue It does not require cultural background or understanding. So pure distilled from Balinese dance and theatrical performances of existing religions, and an entirely new piece choreographed - thus creating one of the most vibrant repertoire and virtuoso dance spectacular in the world.

Although now widely taught virtuoso dance is in the national conservatoires, it is a lot of genres of theater, watching the Balinese themselves. And a lot of great dancers come from theater backgrounds, most especially Arja, Balinese dance opera Fabulous is a demanding because it requires the player to become a first class singer and actor and dancer. Although little known outside of Bali, it is a theater that provides a broad and dynamic reservoir of talent and ideas that drive overall performance of Bali.

The range of theater or drama genre in Bali incredible. Perhaps the best known is the shadow theater, puppets, which are usually referring to the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Among the forms of the older Gambuh, playing with a song set to music using the typical length of the flute, and Wayang Wong, masked drama drawing on the Ramayana. There are also various forms of masks, theatrical masks, which use various sources of literature. The more religious, the story Calonarang used in temples and at the time of common danger or disease outbreaks. Among the spectators Bali despite three popular genres. The most durable has Arja, dance, opera or sung dance-drama, noted for the arias are sung in different meters haunting classic with a unique tone. Arja is very flexible and can make use of classical texts, popular story or even a Greek tragedy. Drama Gong is a popular day-to-day theater in Bali that have sprung up in the late 1960s. The most spectacular form, also derived from the 1960's, is a ballet, ballet mass, suitable for large stage with a cast of WHO mime movements to dialogue with the mastermind, or the 'mastermind'. Although it is often danced to a large gamelan (orchestra), can use the same ballet Kecak, Balinese pronounce each vowel.