Ubud dance performance at the Royal Palace

A couple of weeks ago I attended a dance permance at the Royal Palace in Ubud, along with my friends from Oregon. Located on the main street, Jl. Raya Ubud, the palace is easy to find and the price of admission was 50,000rp. I skimmed over what I saw at the dance, so now I’ll describe the dances we saw, according to the official account.

The Legong Trance: Paradise Dance Programme, was presente by the Panca Artha Group.

The event started with a Solo dance and Group Dance
1) Legong Trance is performed by 2 female Legong dancers. The dance represents Gods & Godesses returning to Earth, to spread art spirit. This art spirit has a strong connection with the Hindu religion and Balinese way of life. With singing Surgawi, the 2 beautiful Legong dancers, perform a gentle dance movent in a state of trance. The result of the dance is the Gods giving mercy and blessings for peace and prosperity.

2) Jauk. This solo dance represents a demon enjoying himself through a dance jungle. Alone, he is free to express his feelings, joking with a flying insect, playing flutes, admiring trees and so on. The male dancer wears a mask, but must be able to ad-lib and show expression.

3) Lencana Agung Ubud. This dance paints a pciture of life in the village of Ubud, famous worldwide for its art and culture, and also for its sprituality, peacefulness and natural beauty. The picture painted of Ubud is expressed throughout by symbolism. “Ulu Chandra (ardha chandra, windhu, naga, makro cosmos), describing the life and soul as being harmonious. The spirit and vibrant energy described by the symbols, convinces the viewer that the society of Ubud, was a gift of nature, the philosophy contained in the symbolism of the dance, allows creates an image of Ubud as a village with a unique charm.

4) Kebyar Trampong. A classic example of the kebyar style of dance and music. ‘Kebyar’, refers to the explosion or flash, and ‘Trompong’is the name of the instrument featured in this piece. A key showpiece for dancers, Kebyar Trompong requires a high level of technical skill on the part of the dancer. The playing of the Trompong is intermingled with dance movements, everything in sequence and in tune. The Trompong is a line of kettle drums, with which the dancer play using rubber-tipped hammers. The dancer sits and the instrument, striking a few bars, suddenly rising, kicking the tail of the flowing sarong backwards and leaping into lively dance once more. The range of expression throughout is exceptional, flashing from strength to refined delicacy, courage to flirtation. The Kebyar Trompong was created by a famous dancer, Mario, in the 1930’s.

B. The Ballet of Bimaniu
1) A penasar is the attendent of prince Bimaniu. The penasar recounts the outline of the story the audience watches.
2) Bimaniu is the son of Arjuna (one of the 5 legendary Pandawa brothers). Bimaniu is searching for a princess named Siti Sunari.
3) Bimaniu meets Siti Sunari and immediately falls in love with her. However, she resists Bimaniu initially, being slowly drawn by his aura.
4) Suddenly the romantic atmosphere is shattered when prince Sateaki, an officer in the palace guard, comes crashing in. Sateaki angrilly engages Bimaniu, when he realizes he has been flirting with Siti Sunari. Unable to defeat Bimaniu, Sateaki discovers he is a relative and suggests he flee the palace to avoid further trouble. Sateaki tells Bimaniu to go to the village of Suralaya and ask protection from prince Gatotgaca. Gatogaca will then accompany Bimaniu to the kingdom of Dwarawati, to propose to Siti Sunari. Accompanied by his attendent, Bimaniu set out for Suralaya. As night falls, they look around for somewhere to sleep. At last they find an empty hut, but little do they realize, it is a graveyard, where witches play.
5) Kalika, leader of the witches, finds the couple sleeping. Her servant, Gabor, fails in trying to bewitch Bimaniu. Then Kalika hersel tries to devour the prince. When Kalika fails, she enlists the help of Durga, a Goddess of death. Durga is angry at Kalika and expels her, then tries to devour Bimaniu. Due to the prince’s magical powers, Durga’s attack in in vain. Finally Durga can do nothing, except listen to the prince as he reveals he is of the Pandawa lineage. Durga wants proof of this, and orders Bimaniu to dance, which he does. Durga is convinced of Bimaniu’s power and as a token of friendship, offers him safe passage to Suralaya.

These plays are often a mystery to watching westerners. They are basically all a struggle of good over evil, and its useful to read the brochuire before hand and try to see how it matches the performance.