The first part was the kecak. Out came an ensemble of about 100 men, the gamelan suara, chanting in pentatonic scale and syncopated rhythm, swaying and breathing in unison. The look and sound is mesmerising.
Then came the ‘actors’, or lead performers, essentially re-enacting parts of the Ramayana (Hindu epic). I didn’t do any prior reading so couldn’t follow. Essentially it’s a cat-and-mouse love story with princesses, mistaken identity, and maniacal villainous laughter. My favourite parts were Hanoman (the white monkey, who had a sweet mask with great teeth)...
And one of the storytellers (a part of the gamelan suara) who squealed like a pig every time the baddy came onstage.
The second part was the trance dance (sanghyang djaran) in which a performer, riding a hobby horse, was ‘lulled’ into trance by the sound of the gamelan, and then kicked through a pile of burning coconut husks. This guy was essentially doing it for the tourists. Talking to the others, and later an expert, it was probably unlikely that it was a ‘spirit induced trance’. Not to say it was all smoke and mirrors. I saw the flaming coconuts with my own eyes. However, like any seasoned performer, he had a function/role, he came in, he smashed some coke husk, and he left.
Posing for photos in between, of course.
Tourists. Can't live with 'em. Can't live without 'em.
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