Music and Dance in Bali

Music and dance in Bali are part of the fabulous tapestry of Balinese art and culture. Traditional dances are primarily based around religion or local culture – such as the harvest dance and trance dance, which are performed when a village or area is suffering from poor crops or pestilence. Performed less seriously and usually at tourist centres and gala events is the Bali-bahan dance, otherwise known as the entertainment dance.

Because Bali is a Hindu island, Indian dancing has a big influence here. Animism too along with provincial folklore and even family histories have informed other traditional dance styles. Most Balinese are instructed in local dance forms while still very young, usually by mimicking a teacher who dances in front of them, or just other adults who are dancing. There are three main types of Balinese dance, but common across all is an expression of the common spirit of the dance – individual expression is unheard of.
The Wali are the Sacred Dances and are only performed in the grounds of a temple. The Rejang is performed by women and features slow and steady processions towards an altar, often with fans twirling dramatically or thrown into the air. The Baris Dances are warrior dances performed by men dressed in gold headdresses accompanied in their dramatic routines by a boisterous orchestra.

The Pendet Dance is performed only by married women and is a quiet dedication to important dieties, like the Sang Hyan Dedari, the famous Trance Dance that is used to appease the spirits in times of local or individual distress. Getting ready to perform a Trance Dance may take months, with visits from priests and long periods of medititation required to induce the correct trance-like state. It is beleived that the gods and goddesses will transmute into the bodies of the dancers if they are deep enough into the trance state. Sometimes, dancers will collapse at the end of extended performance periods, and this reaction is

The Bebali Dances are the Ceremonial Dances, and are also performed inside a temple. The Gambuh Gambuh acts out long stories of Balinese history, usually the tale of a Javanese prince courting a princess.

The Balih-balihan Dances
 are entertaining and not temple based. They are perofrmed all over the island particularly for tourists. The Janger Janger is performed by younger women in peacock shaped crown headdresses and the Kebyar
 Kebyar features two beautiful women dancing with fans.