Theater and dance are an integral part of Balinese culture.  I caught glimpses of a few Balinese dances on previous visits however, knowing that Kingsley would almost rather be doing anything other than watching a dance I never pursued experiencing a full dance performance.  Thankfully Cynthia and I were on the same page with our desire to watch some serious dancing so we went the Cafe Lotus in Ubud which is the spot to go as they have dance performances every night of the week. We happened to go on a Thursday evening where we saw several amazing dances but my favorite was the Barong dance.


Legong Trance Dance - a sacred dance performed only in a temple by very young girls.   The trance dance is performed when a village is suffering from a bad harvest or an illness.  The dance is intended to appease the gods and goddesses with the hope that they will bless the village.

Nyamar Dance - a love story filled with intrigue. Based on an old Javanese tale, Chandra Kirana, a beautiful woman appears disguised as a man.  She had been forcefully separated from her lover, Panji, but returns to him just in time to stop his marriage to an evil imposter claiming to be Chandra.




Barong is probably the most well known dance. It is also another story telling dance, narrating the fight between good and evil. This dance is the classic example of Balinese way of acting out mythology, resulting in myth and history being blended into one reality.
The story goes that Rangda, the mother of Erlangga, the King of Bali in the tenth century, was condemned by Erlangga's father because she practiced black magic. After she became a widow, she summoned all the evil spirits in the jungle, the leaks and the demons, to come after Erlangga. A fight occurred, but she and her black magic troops were too strong that Erlangga had to ask for the help of Barong. Barong came with Erlangga's soldiers, and fight ensued. Rangda casted a spell that made Erlangga soldiers all wanted to kill themselves, pointing their poisoned keris into their own stomachs and chests. Barong casted a spell that turned their body resistant to the sharp keris. At the end, Barong won, and Rangda ran away.
Somebody can die or get seriously injured in a Barong dance. It is said that if Rangda's spell is too strong, a weak soldier may not be able to resist it, even with the help of Barong. He may end up hurting himself with his own keris.
The masks of Barong and Rangda are considered sacred items, and before they are brought out, a priest must be present to offer blessings by sprinkling them with holy water taken from Mount Agung, and offerrings must be presented.


The Barong is a strange creature - half shaggy dog, half lion and is propelled by two men kind of like a circus clown horse.