The Bali Hindu traditions and stories are very similar to Greek and Norse mythology...with irrational gods, brave heroes fighting beasts and beautiful ladies being fought over by man and god alike. Except the stories are a bit different. There is much more emphasis on the balance between good and evil. And they like to tell these stories through dances and plays.
The first of these dances I attended was the Kecak Dance (its pronounced "kechak"). Kinda like opera, in that its tough to follow unless you know the story beforehand. Very cool though, and it ends with the hero dancing through fire. Rather than try to explain the story (I don't think I can!), I'll just link to it HERE.
These guys are trance chanting "Cheka, cheka, cheka, cheka" through the whole play:
More pics in the continuation:
Then the hero celebrates by dancing in fire.....
Comments