Dances Invite the God part 4

Tari Sanghyang ( Trance Dances )

           The state of trance lies at the very heart of traditional Balinese dance. In order to maintain the health of the village, the god is periodically invited down in the temple arena to help in the exorcism of evil and sickness-inducing spirits. When the deities descend, they reveal themselves by possessing certain people and using them as their medium. Sometimes the deities communicate in verbal form, which may or may not have to be interpreted by the priests, and sometimes the whole physical being is taken over and the devotee is moved to dance or to perform astonishing physical feats. The chosen medium is put into a trance state through a combination of special priestly chants and protective mantras, intoned exhortations by the Capella choir, and great clouds of pungent incense wafted heavenwards to attract the god attention. Trance dances are traditionally only performed when the village is suffering from particularly bad about sickness or bad weather - the versions that are reproduced at tourist shows have none of the dynamism of the real thing. Though it is said that performers do sometimes slip into trance even then.

          One of the most common trance dances is the Sangyang Dedari ( angel Deity ), which is widely believed to have been the inspiration for the popular courtly dance the legong. In the Sanghyang dedari, the deities possess two young girls who perform a complicated duet with their eyes closed and, in part, while seated on the shoulders of two male villagers. Although they have never learn the actual step, the duo almost in variably performs its movements in tandem  and sometimes continues for up to fours hours. when they finally drop to the floor exhaustion, the priest wakes them gently by sprinkling holy water over them. In the Sanghyang Dedari performed at tourist shows, however, the girls have almost certainly rehearsed the dance beforehand and probably  do not enter a trance state at all. They wear the same tightly bound green and gold sarongs as the legong dancers, and dance to the haunting backing vocals of an a Capella chorus of men and women.

         In the Sanghyang Jaran ( Horse Deity ) one or more men are put into a trance state while the temple floor is lettered with burning coconut husks. as they enter the trance, the men grab hold of wooden hobbyhorse sticks and then gallop frantically back and forth across the red hot embers as if they were on real horses. The all male kecak chorus fuels the drama with excited a Cappela crescendos untill, finally, the exhausted hobbyhorse riders are awoken by the priest.

TOPENG : MASK DANCES

          In the topeng or mask dance the performer is possessed by the spirit of the mask. Balinese masks are extremely sacred object, carved and painted with great reverence to the gods and spirits. Before every entrance, the topeng actor sprinkles holy water on his mask and recites a mantra. Women never participate in topeng. Female roles are played by men, and most actors play several characters in each drama.

          The storyline of most topeng dramas are much more important than in most other Balinese Dance-Dramas. They usually center around popular folk tales or well known episodes from history, and every character wears a mask which makes him or her immediately recognizable. Refined and noble characters always wear full masks, usually painted white with almond-shaped eyes, and thick black eyebrows for the men. They communicate with elegant gestures of the hands, arms and head ( speaking is impossible because of the mask ), and move with rather grand, often swaggering bravado. A royal servant always acts as a narrator figure, speaking on behalf of the voiceless nobles, and he, like the coarser characters, the clowns and the servants, wears a half mask and baggy shapeless clothing in which to roll about the floor and engage in comic antics.

           One of the most popular mask dances is the topeng tua, a solo performance by the character of an old man, a retired first minister, who recalls his time in the king's service. The mask is always shrouded in straggly white hair and beard, and the actor hobbles about with shaky legs and wavering fingers. Another classic tourist topeng is the frog dance - performed to the gloriously evocative music of the Balinese Jew's sharp or Genggong - which tells how frog turns into a prince. The Jauk is a masked dance of a slightly different nature, in which the solo dancer portrays a terrifying demon - king. His red and white mask has huge bulging eyes, horribly goofy smile and a thick black mustache, and his hands are crowned with foot - long fingernails which flashes menacingly throughout the dance. To the clashing strains of the full-blown gamelan who take leaps mischievously about the stage as if darting from behind trees and pouncing on unsuspecting villagers.



Keyword :
Sanghyang Jaran Dance, Sanghyang Dedari Dance, Balinese trance Dance, Spectacular Balinese performance, Topeng Dance, Balinese Frog Dance, Topeng Tua, a solo mask performance, Genggong Music, Jauk Dance