Jakarta, IO – Indonesia is famous for its diverse cultures that become the marvel of the world. One of them is Kecak, the traditional Balinese dance. Without the aid of musical instruments, 50 to 70 male dancers sit in a circle rhythmically chanting “Cak” repeatedly while raising both arms. In fact, the Kecak Dance was not created during the royal period, but by a Balinese dancer named I Wayan Limbak circa 1930s.
According to Baliilu.com, I Wayan Limbak, together with German painter Walter Spies, modified several elements of the Sang Hyang dance and parts of the Ramayana story to create the dance. Sang Hyang is a traditional dance where the dancers are in trance and are believed to be communicating with the gods and ancestral spirits.
In the beginning, I Wayan, who lived in Bedulu, often carried out the tradition of communicating with his ancestors to ward off evil. He and the people in his village will perform Syang Hyang dance when a family member suffers from illness. The dance which is sacred to the people of Bedulu and is performed at Goa Gajah Temple during piodalan, a four-day ceremony to celebrate the temple’s anniversary.
When Walter settled in Ubud, they became best friends. At that time, Walter was interested in creating a dance because he was inspired by Sang Hyang tradition after watching it. It was then that the dance, popularly known as the Fire Dance, was created and became the main attraction for tourists visiting Bali. The popularity of the Balinese Kecak dance has been portrayed in various media, such as cinema, music to video games.
Read: Melasti, exotic beach in southern Bali
One of the places where the Kecak Dance is performed is Uluwatu Temple in Pecatu village, Badung regency. Etymologically, the word “Ulu” means the tip, top or peak, while “Watu” means rock. The Uluwatu Kecak is also the only Kecak dance that is performed with a majestic view of sunset and the ocean as the backdrop. (bp)