Balinese Dances - Take Two with Fire

So THE Balinese dance is the Kecak Fire Dance and THE place to see it is at the Hindu Temple, a lovely open-air, three-sided seating venue and it takes a moment after we sit down (right in the front row) to realize - there are no instruments!

Our front row seat - waiting for the show to start.

Now this should be interesting indeed.  Our first performance, the Legong Legend, was accompanied by musicians playing instruments that are definitely an acquired taste . . . or sound.

And we actually get a program that describes, in somewhat fractured but nonetheless intelligible English, the sequences of this story in dance.  The audience fills up quickly, and the dance starts with  a huge troupe of men filing out on the floor (I count around 30).

They sit down and begin chanting, in a a kind of three-part harmony which is very compelling (and a lot easier on the ear than the Legong instruments).  And then the action begins . . .

Not surprisingly, this is a story of a king, his queen, a marriageable-age daughter and . . . well you know the story, many forms, many cultures, amazing the universality of these stories!  Each chapter  is accompanied by this remarkable mens chorus with its compelling chanting which enhances the action and fills in the gaps of the action.  Here are some photos . . .

And then we come to the climax of the evening - the fire dance.  Yes, this is a real fire, and yes it was this close to us.

The fire burns down to hot coals in a few minutes and this becomes the 'stamping ground' for a possessed rider on a 'hobby horse' who repeatedly gallops through the coals - barefoot!!  The hobby horse is life-size and the rider holds the sides of his horse while he gallops around the floor. The scattered coals are pushed back into a pile after each romp through them.

As he 'gallops' away from us, we can see the bottoms of his feet which are as black as the coals.  After about 10 romps through the bed of coals, he's done, the audience is exhausted just watching this, and the show is officially over.  Whew!  This was quite an evening!!

Out and About in Ubud . . . Our First Balinese Dance

All the guide books state that the one thing you absolutely must do in Ubud is attend a performance of  a traditional Balinese dance.  Along with the usual 'welcome to our guesthouse info' our room book has a list of all the performances as well as the venues, dance companies, days/times, and costs.  This is obviously a well-orchestrated attraction as you simply need to look at the day to see what's playing where, when, and for how much.

There are two dances I would like to see (Tim patiently goes along with the plan!).  One, the Legong, is performed at the Palace; the other, the Kecak Fire Dance at the Temple, a setting that gets rave reviews.  Both are an easy walk from our cottage.  Tickets bought at the Tourist and Visitor Center and we're off to do some exploring.  Along with the room info book, a lovely, rather slick magazine was left for us - Ubud Life (?).  Normally I just ignore that sort of thing but one article caught my attention.  A young jeweler/silversmith from Canada moved to Bali years ago and has set up an apprentice program . . . in the local prison.  Her works, along with those of the inmates, are sold in her shops (Jewelry for the Soul), two of which are in Ubud.  I'm not 'into' jewelry but I am most curious about these shops and the program.

Only one wrong turn later, we make our way to the shop which is delightful, staffed by a lovely young woman and full of very affordable, imaginative creations.  And, yes, I did buy a couple of pieces!

Tim taking it easy in the jewelry shop after some very strenuous shopping.

On the way back home, we pass an intriguing shop full of exotic wooden creations.  Turns out they are from East Timor - a place that rings some distant bell of political upheaval and devastation 10 or so years back . . . what really captivates me is this wee one, son of the owner, who was so sweet and friendly . . . 

On to the dance performance!  It starts at 7:30 but we're advised to arrive as early as 7:00 to get good seats.  We arrive at 6:50 and the 'good seats' are in short supply.  Our not so bad seats are to the left of the stage, right behind one of the musicians' pits.  Their instruments are unlike anything we've ever seen . . . a wood percussion upright xylophone thingee and a kind of horizontal cymbal on steroids, both of which are very loud.  I mean very, very loud.  We were far enough back that it was tolerable but we watched a number of people seated on the opposite side of the stage (behind the other musician pit) actually get up and leave less than halfway through the performance.  

Taking photographs during the performance was forbidden, but I quickly realized that only flash photography was forbidden.   

Waiting for the dancers.  

We were handed a very brief program which told us that there were 8 segments to this performance; we had trouble figuring out how they fit together but in toto they portray the history of a local tribe, the Legong (I believe!).  Legong dancers enjoy a very respected place in Balinese society; they are remembered for their dancing decades after leaving the stage.

The first appearance of the dancers . . . since they were standing still, this photo is clear.  Unfortunately, a lot of the upcoming ones are blurry - whirling actions, no flash allowed and minimal light, my wee camera couldn't compensate, but I hope this gives you some idea of what we saw.

I found myself unconsciously trying to mimic the action of the dancers' feet (especially their toes) while watching them.  I admit, I can't get my feet or toes to do any of these moves!!

There were eight segments in this performance, and each one meant an elaborate costume change.

This was one of the mostly-male dance segments.

And here come the ladies . . .

Just getting dressed for each of these segments must have required a major backstage crew!

Just try flexing your toes like this!!

One of the last dance segments . . .

And this was the splendid finale . . . those are women atop each of these male dancers!

This was a long evening - upwards of 90" - and I'm still not sure I 'got' the Legong history/legend lesson but glad we decided to see this - absolutely unique!

Ubud - The Other Jewel in Bali's Tourism Crown

Our driver (Yoman not Huyman) is patiently waiting for us when we finally arrive in Amed and knows we want to head to Ubud, about a 2-2.5 hour drive.  First we have to stop back at Alur Homestay in Amed and say our official goodbyes to Made and his family!  They want to be sure we enjoyed our stay on Lombok and know we are welcome back any time . . . then Yoman asks if we would like to stop at his village and visit his home which is on the way to Ubud.  But of course!

Now it's possible that an invitation like this has some dark or ulterior side but honestly, we never see it!  We just think - how nice, we get to see a 'real' Balinese home.  We thread our way into the recesses of a nearby town and walk the last couple of blocks to Yoman's family compound.  He tells us that about 20 extended family members live here and that he inherited his house from his father.  As we walk in, we're greeted with surprised looks and everyone who'd been engaged in some sort of meal preparation, clothes washing, et al scatters . . . doubtless, they weren't anticipating guests!

Yoman's wife then brings out a plate of boiled snake fruit and tea.  Snake fruit is about the size of a lemon, and the skin looks (and feels) just like the skin of a snake!  Because it's been boiled, the skin slips off easily revealing a semi-firm pulpy fruit that is absolutely delicious.  Accompanied by tea it's a lovely mid-morning snack.  We sit, somewhat awkwardly (neither of us have mastered the cross-legged sitting posture!), on a mat in front of the door to their house and watch a variety of little ones sneaking looks at us from behind adjacent doors and windows.

And then we're off for the cross-island taxi ride to Ubud.  When we were planning our month in Bali, it appeared that the island was not that big and there were enough roads to ensure access to even some of the remotest areas.  What we didn't know was that the average speed on these roads is about 20-25 MPH!!  Bali is very mountainous so a trip of 50 miles can take 2-2.5 hours, which this one does.

Turns out our 'on the fly' choice to stay at Samsa Cottages was a very good one.  It's on a street just off the main drag through Ubud but set back off the street in such a way that it's absolutely quiet, yet everything is within a very short walk.  Ubud is a bustling tourist attraction and apparently very Hindu with an overlay of local legend.  Our first day we run head-on into a celebration, complete with parade . . .

Men and women march separately . . .

We're here for eight days and think there will be no shortage of things to do! (That's our street on the right side of the photo.)