Kecak Dance

Kecak Dance

Kecak Dance is a typical Balinese dance performance that mainly tells about Ramayana and is played mainly by men. The dance is performed by many (or more dozens) of male dancers sitting in a circular line and with certain rhythms calling "cak" and lifting both arms, describing the Ramayana story as a row of apes helping Rama against Ravana. However, Kecak comes from a sanghyang ritual, a dance tradition whose dancers will be in an unconscious state, communicating with God or the spirits of the ancestors and then communicating their hopes to the community.
The dancers sitting in a circle were wearing a checkered cloth like a chessboard encircling their waist. In addition to the dancers, there are also other dancers who portray Ramayana figures such as Rama, Shinta, Ravana, Hanuman, and Sugriwa.
Kecak dance song is taken from Sanghyang dance ritual. Additionaly, do not use musical instruments. Only used kincringan worn on foot dancers who portray the characters of Ramayana.
Around the 1930s Wayan Limbak worked with German painter Walter Spies to create a Kecak dance based on the Sanghyang tradition and parts of the Ramayana story. Wayan Limbak popularized this dance while traveling around the world with her Balinese dance troupe

Copyright Image
Elena of Kecak Dance at Ulutawu Temple
Location
Ulutawu Temple Bali, Indonesia
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