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Knowing Kecak Dance & Its History

Visa4Bali – Kecak Dance. The popularity of Bali is already worldwide. This island is become a tourist destination by travelers from all over the world. Various tourists who come from various countries have proven themselves the beauty that exists on this island. Bali is very famous for its culture, and has a variety of cultures and historical relics from their ancestors that are still preserved today.

In addition to visit Bali to do recreation in beautiful tourist attractions of Bali, many of these tourists come to Bali to explore and want to know what the culture and characteristics of the island of Bali are. One of the most famous cultural arts from Bali is Kecak Dance. This dance has become an icon of the island of Bali. There are so many travel bureaus or travel agents that use photos of kecak dancers as one of their promotional media. So what exactly is Kecak Dance? What is the purpose of doing the dance? Let’s see, we will discuss more about the Balinese Kecak dance.

kecak danceHistory of Kecak Dance

Kecak is a Balinese dance-drama that is used as a performance. This dance was discovered in 1930 by a native Balinese artist named Wayan Limbak in collaboration with a German painter named Walter Spies. Actually, Kecak is a dance tradition which the dancer is in an unconscious state or in a trance, this is one of the sanghyang rituals.

In the past, this dance was only performed in a few villages. However, with the passage of time, this dance was then performed throughout Bali and presented in various activities. This dance is played by men and this art performance tells about the Ramayana.

The Kecak dance shows dozens of men sitting in a circle using a certain rhythm and shouting the word ‘cak cak cak’ while raising both arms. The dancers communicate with God or their ancestors, then convey their hopes to the community.

In addition to having high art, this dance has meaning in every movement. Every movement of the Kecak dance has the meaning of believing that God is the protector and helper of His people. The Kecak dance is led by a religious leader or a Hindu religious leader and he will act as a prayer leader.

At the beginning of the article it was stated that Kecak Dance is actually a dance drama, this means that this dance is a unique art and has meaning ranging from its movements, musical accompaniment or rhythm, to the storyline presented by the dancers. This is what makes the Kecak Dance very famous throughout the world. Lots of foreign tourists are interested and become one of the attractions of the island of Bali for both local and foreign tourists.

Kecak Dance Function

Apart from being a tourist attraction, it turns out that the Kecak dance has its own function for local people in Bali. Here we summarize some of the functions of the Kecak dance in the daily life of Balinese people

  • Kecak dance is one of the means for religious ceremonies that has been passed down from generation to generation by the ancestors until now.
  • One of the means are used to entertain anyone who sees it is by showing unique dance movements, rhythms and interesting costumes.
  • This dance is one of the educations taught in formal schools in Bali, so Kecak dance is still maintained until now.
  • Kecak dance is believed to ward off evil spirits and disease.
  • Kecak dance can also be used as a medium of communication to convey messages.

To prove how unique and interesting the Kecak dance is, please come to Bali. In Bali there is not only the Kecak dance, but there are many other interesting arts and cultures that are also very beautiful to enjoy.

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