Watching traditional dances when you are in Ubud is a must as Ubud is well known for its art and culture. Every Sundays at 7.30 pm. Pondok Pekak, a dance troupe from Ubud, performs Legong dance and other favorite Balinese dances. Located at a public hall called Balai Banjar Ubud Kelod, Monkey Forest road, next to the soccer field, you may interest to watch their show. Entrance fee is Rp. 75.000,- which you can obtain at Ubud Tourist Information Office, street ticket sellers, or at the gate of the venue. Here is summary of their show during about 1 hour. Have a nice watch.
Sekar Jagat Welcome Dance
The Sekar Jagat dance represents the ritual presentation of an offering in the form of dance and is performed by a group of young girls. It is commonly used to welcome an audience to a performance or event and can sometimes be seen at temple ceremonies where the dancers joyfully receive and welcome the audience of gods to the ceremony.
Baris Warrior Dance
The Baris dance, a dazzling dance glorifying the power and strength of Balinese warrior, is most commonly performed as a solo exhibition dance, often by a young boy. This ecpressive dance is divided into three parts, each expressing the different moods and range of emotions of the young warrior. The word Baris means line or file, as in a line of warriors going into battle.
Legong Kraton Dance
This famous classical Balinese drama was traditionally held in the palace courtyard to entertain the king. Usually performed by three young girls, this dance is adapted from the epic story of the arrogant Kind Lasem and the Princess Langke Sari, whom he desires and hold against her will. In this part of the story, the king has been threatened by the brother of the Princess, the King of Daha, and is leaving his castle to wage battle against him. A series of omens suggest he will die in battle but he depart anyway, bidding farewell to the Queen and Langke Sari. The final omen arrives in the form of a Garuda bird that flies to him and pecks him on the head. However, King Lasem has already accepted his fate he continues his journey and eventually dies in battle.
Kebyar Duduk Dance (Taruna Jaya)
This contemporary dance from North Bali, depicts the period of invancy and adolescence in the life of a Prince. The gestures and movement of the advogenius dancer, expresses bravery and the effervescence of youth.
Oleg Dance
Composed in the 1950s this duet represents the courtship of two bumblebees flit from flower to flower in a beautiful garden.
Jauk Dance
This traditional mask dance portrays a demon, alone in the jungle, which is free to fly, move and be happy. Watch the ancient costume as the dancer turns around.
We just got back to our villa from watching this show, and I have to say, that that was the best, most cultural experience I have ever had IN MY LIFE!
Watching Balinese cultural dance on Youtube is hardly like the first-hand experience; viewing these shows on a screen just does not do their performance justice. To explain; It’s similar to watching the AFL Grand final on tv compared to being there in the stadium.
The elaborate and vibrant costumes and makeup, the subtle hand and facial gestures, and especially the choreographed eye movements, supported by such a boisterously enthusiastic live-musician ensemble, playing an array of instruments I don’t even know the names of, makes for a rich cultural experience, not to be missed when visiting Bali.
The dancers were incredibly beautiful, extremely talented and mesmerising. Their performances, totalling a little over an hour, are a mixture of historical and contemporary dance (by contemporary, I mean composed in the 1950’s), and if you can, I urge you to reserve a front row seat by visiting the Ubud Community Centre (the venue) earlier on the day of the performance, which is a fair walk up from the Monkey Forrest – why not coordinate a visit there, or maybe to the Ubud Palace or markets, followed by a meal in one of the many dining options while you wait?
I must warn you though; if you are a fair-dinkum Aussie bogan, visiting Bali primarily for the Bintang, cheap-immitation watches and vibrant night(club)-life, this show may not be to your liking. But if you enjoy travelling and immersing yourself in rich culture, then this show is a must.
Thank you Putu Ubud Kelod for waving me over and helping me reserve our seats. It must have been a very auspicious day on the Balinese Wuku Calendar for me to be out and about, walking the streets of Ubud today, for the good fortune of my having met you – and in your humble introduction, you never mentioned that you are one of the leading percussionists…
Fabulous show, and for 75k rp (roughly $7.50 AUD), well worth it and more.
Sincerely,
Micah and Ayasha H.
Oh, and be sure to watch out for the guy playing the picolo near the front of the stage. His breathing technique is amazing…and he gets some solo time during the mask dance, too.
Cheers,
Micah H.
We loved the performance!
Very professionally done snd entertaining. The performers clearly put a lot of time into their craft.
I have posted a photo-story on my Blog:
http://www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/legong-and-other-balinese-dances-ubud-bali/