Put your hands up and say “Cha Cha Cha……..”
No it is not a step of your daily aerobics; it is a dance master piece which was created long back in 1930 by Wayan Limbak along with the German painter Walter Spies combining the movements of the traditional Sanghyang exorcism rituals and part of the great Hindu epic “Ramayana” to make it a perfect hallmark of the Balinese traditions.
As long planned, me and my wife visited Bali in July 2014 and on our second day of visit, we went to Ubud, 35 km from Bali’s international airport which is known for is picturesque landscape, bamboo and stone handicrafts, ancient temples and the rice terrace. Every Wednesday and Saturday, the local Taman Kaja community offers a special dance performance called “Kecak” fire and trance dance starting at 7.30 pm (local time). Taman Kaja is a small community comprising around 140 families who are deeply involved in different ways with this awe-inspiring fire dance performance. The place has an open gallery which can hold hundreds of people at a time.
The performers in traditional Balinese attire enact the famous stories of “Ramayana” where Lord Rama with the help of monkeys rescued his wife Sita who were made captive by the devil Ravana. We were spellbound looking at their dance skills until when we realized that the whole audience was looking at us that immediately took us to our senses to see that the “Hanuman” (lead monkey) was seated next to us with his mischievous smiles. The whole audience including us was then laughing out loud at this incidence. It was absolutely mesmerizing when fire was introduced as part of the dance. I suddenly looked up to see the sun was setting behind the Bali sea with a riot of colors in the sky reflecting on the sea only to give a fascinating backdrop to this dance event.
However, for those who will be travelling Ubud to witness this piece of art for the first time, the following three tips can be seemed handy.
Carry an extra piece of cloth to wrap up your lower half if you are wearing shorts as a rule for their religious places. Do not worry if you have forgotten to take one, they can provide you as well.
Taking an upper seat in the gallery would be helpful in particular if you want to take an overview picture of the dance performance and also it lets you watch the surrounding area better during the sun set.
Finally, if you do not want to donate your camera or other valuable stuffs to the monkeys, be alert and hold them tight. Put away your sunglasses as well.
I would recommend Ubud as a must-see place if you are traveling to Bali and especially the breath-taking “Kecak” dance performance which, I am sure will leave a long-term mark in your mind.
