Balinese Dances

With over 1000 troupes, Balinese Dances are at the very center of the Balinese life. On Java dance is the prerogative of the courts, but on Bali it's most prevalent in the villages.

The Balinese consider Javanese dancing boring, while Javanese think Balinese dancing noisy and vulgar. Dancers on Bali perform for the pleasure of the gods, prestige, and the entertainment of friends and family. Gambuh, wayang wong and topeng are dance drama, when legong is the classical dance of the princely court. Gambuh is the oldest known dance drama in Bali, it is inspired by the Javanese literature. Very few active village gambuh troupes remain.

The wayang wong, is a drama where the dancers play the roles of the shadows puppets of the Javanese Wayang kulit. The players are masked and their movements follow the style of the shadow puppets.

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