Abstract
Kecak is one of the most popular dramatic dance forms performed for tourists on Bali. It has been developed cooperatively by Balinese artists and Western expatriates, most prominently I Wayan Limbak and Walter Spies, living on Bali in the 1930s, with the explicit purpose of meeting the tastes and expectations of a Western audience. Driven by economic considerations, in the late 1960s kecak was standardized into the kecak ramayana known today. Kecak ramayana does not appeal to a Balinese audience in an artistic sense, instead it is perceived as a traditional way of generating income for the community. In contrast, the kecak kreasi or kecak kontemporer has been developed by local choreographers out of the traditional kecak since the 1970s. With its use of both pre-1960 traditional elements and Western contemporary dance, it is rooted in the contemporary Balinese performing arts scene. Kecak kreasi appeals primarily to a Balinese audience, which shows that kecak as a genre can be more than income from tourism; in its contemporary form it is valued by all audiences based on its artistic value.
Journal Information
The Yearbook for Traditional Music is a refereed scholarly journal which carries essays, reviews, and reports in the area of traditional music and dance research. ISSN (Print): 0740-1558. ISSN (Online): 2304-3857. General Editor: Lee Tong Soon. The Yearbook was established in 1949 as the Journal of the International Folk Music Council, and it is published in English every December by the ICTM Secretariat. All ICTM members and institutional subscribers in good standing receive a copy of the Yearbook via priority air mail.
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Cambridge University Press (www.cambridge.org) is the publishing division of the University of Cambridge, one of the world’s leading research institutions and winner of 81 Nobel Prizes. Cambridge University Press is committed by its charter to disseminate knowledge as widely as possible across the globe. It publishes over 2,500 books a year for distribution in more than 200 countries. Cambridge Journals publishes over 250 peer-reviewed academic journals across a wide range of subject areas, in print and online. Many of these journals are the leading academic publications in their fields and together they form one of the most valuable and comprehensive bodies of research available today. For more information, visit //journals.cambridge.org.
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The Kecak dance is performed all over Bali but the most famous dance is performed nightly as the sun is setting over the Uluwatu temple, one of the six Sad Kahyangan Temples, the main spiritual pillars in Bali.
The Origins of the Kecak Dance
The Tari Kecak dance, also called ‘the monkey chant dance’, was originally a trance ritual accompanied by male chorus. It’s based on a traditional Balinese ritual but was actually created by a German man in the 1930s and based on the famous epic Hindu story of the Ramayana is now internationally recognised as one of Bali’s top-three signature dances (alongside the Barong and Legong).
Music with no instruments
The Kecak dance is unique in that it has no other musical background or accompaniment besides the chanting of the troupe of bare-chested male dancers making a “chak-achak-achak” clicking sounds while swaying their bodies and waving their hands. From that chanting noise of “Cak-cak-cak”, the dance was given its name, Kecak.
Mexican Wave
The men form a moving circular boundary around the stage swaying to the chant, a bit like a mexican wave. In the middle of the stage the story of Prince Rama unfolds. The storyline generally starts from when prince Rama goes to the woods with Sita, his wife, and Lakshmana, his brother. There, Ravana kidnaps Sita and imprisons her in his castle. Rama seeks for help and sends Lakshmana to find his friend, Sugriva, the King of the Monkey Kingdom. Hanuman, Sugriva’s commander, is sent to check on Sita in Ravana’s palace and Rama finally begins the battle.
At first, Ravana wins, but Sugriva and Hanuman then come to Rama’s aid with monkey troops. Sugriva finally wins.
Trance Fire Dance
The trance fire dance
To conclude the performance coconut husks are strewn over the stage and set on fire. The dancer playing the character Hanuman is blessed by the priest before the trance dance. He then dances through the fire kicking the burning husks and showering the stage with embers. He feels no pain as he is in a trance.
One of the best places to see this unique performance is with the backdrop of Uluwatu temple at sunset. This half day tour takes you to the traditional wet market and 2 famous surfing beaches before the visit to the temple and the Kecak dance, with the option of a seaside dinner at Jimberan after the show.
Click this link for more details on this trip with Diving Indo.