Full Of Drama Barong & Kris Dance..

Bali is indeed a magical and mystical island. This can be seen in their colourful costumes and their graceful dances which is full of drama and emotions. We went to Batubulan on our second day of tour to see the famous Barong and Kris dance, one of the few famous balinese dances. Actually I was just expecting some pretty Balinese ladies staging some dance moves in their sarongs but I was surprise this Barong and kris dance was more of a play or drama with a few dances in between with balinese music provided by a team of musicians sitting cross legged in a hut beside the stage.

Although the mask they wore were quite frightening, their acts were full of expressions and emotions flowing accordingly to the storyline which were provided for the audiences in a few languages on paper.

The Barong play is actually about an eternal fight between good and evil spirits. A Barong, a mythological animal represent good spirit while Rangda, a mythological monster represent the evil one.

"Barong, a mystical creature with a long way back and curved tail, represents the affirmative, the protector of mankind, the glory of the high sun, and the favorable spirits associated with the right and white magic. The widow witch Rangda is its complement. She rules the evil spirits and witches who haunt the graveyards late at night. Her habitat is darkness and her specialties lie with the practice of black magic, the destructive force of the left. Both figures are of the same earthly substance, possessing strong magical prowess. Somewhere in a mythical past, the Barong was won over to the side of humanity, and, in the play, fights on behalf of the people against the intruding death force of Rangda." BaliVision.

Here are some pics of the show...........

The Barong is a mythical, supernatural creature, represented by a masked costume that resembles a Chinese barongsai lion. The costume is animated by two dancers, one manipulating the snapping jaws of the mask and one acting as the hind end. The costume is decorated with a shaggy fur body and richly ornamented filagree leatherwork, embellished with gold leaf and tiny mirrors.

The mystical Barong and his friend the monkey........


Two girl dancers representing the servants of Rangda...

The servants of Dewi Kunti.......


The evil Rangda with her splintery fingernails that fore shadow the dreadful vision of Rangda. From her mouth hangs a flaming tongue signifying her consuming fire and around her neck, a necklace of human entrails falls over her pendulous breasts. Howling a low, gurgling curse she stalks the Barong while waving a white cloth from whence issues her overwhelming magic.


Dewi Kunti and her son Sahadewa............

God Siwa and Rangda.................

Rangda is redeem and killed by Sahadewa, then goes to heaven...(funny to be sent there)

The evil wild boar fighting with followers of Barong in a compromising position that makes the audience laugh.........

The musicians with their gamelans and drums.........

The spectators in full concentration.........

Here are 2 short video clips of the Barong and Kris dance taken from YouTube...