Legong Dance
Legong probably originated in the 19th century as royal entertainment. Legend has it that a prince of Sukwati fell ill and had a vivid dream in which two maidens danced to gamelan
music. When he recovered, he arranged for such dances to be performed
in reality.Others believe that the Legong originated with the
sanghyang dedari, a ceremony involving voluntary possession
of two little girls by beneficent spirits. Legong is also danced at
public festivals. Excerpts from Legong dance dramas are put on for
tourists.
Kecak Dance
Kecak (pronounced [?ket?a?], alternate spellings:
Ketjak and
Ketjack) is a form of Balinese dance and music drama that developed in the 1930s in Bali. It is performed primarily by men, although by 2006, a few women’s kecak groups exist.
Also known as the
Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed
by a circle of 150 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their
waists, percussively chanting “cak” and throwing up their arms, depicts
a battle from the
Ramayana. The monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. Kecak has roots in
sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.
