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Balinese dance is unique, dynamic,
and the movement is very complex. When dancing, a dancer has to be able to exercise all of her body's parts from head to toe.
 The most important thing she needs to remember is she has to always bend her knees, her back, and keeps her shoulders wide open.
The uniqueness about Balinese dance that distinguishes it from others is in the eye movement or seledet.
The eyes are glanced right and/or left accompanied by the chin. While doing this, the eyes must be wide opened and must not be blinked.
Besides the movement of the entire body, facial expression is also very crucial. It shows the character of the dance; happy, angry, sad, shocked, love, etc.
A dance is a subtle combination of the movements of feeling, the body and the spirit.
There are many types of Balinese dance composed by Balinese artists. Sometimes one particular type of dance has slightly differences depends upon who the teacher is, what village she/he comes from, etc.
The core of the movements are standard, but each style might carry minor
improvisation. More and more dances are created since the Indonesian Art Institute in Bali was established. These dances are called "new creation dances".
SOME TYPES OF DANCES ARE LISTED BELOW :
PENDET
When a little girl starts learning how to dance, usually she will be taught Pendet dance since it requires simple and basic movements and not to fast tempo. This dance is also called a "welcoming dance" for it is performed at the beginning of an event.
There are two types of Pendet dance, first is the one that is only danced at a temple festival to greet the Gods, and second is Pendet that is performed to mark a ceremonial event such as the end of the school year, anniversary of the youth club of a village, etc.
Sometimes it is also performed to welcome government dignitaries. This type of dance is only danced by girls or women.
LEGONG
This dance is one of the classical dances. Only girls perform Legong and the training often begins at age five.
By the time a girl reaches puberty, she retires from dancing this. The girls are called divined nymphs and act the roles of highly refined courtiers.
BARIS
Baris expresses manly attributes and is a ritual war dance. This dance requires a dancer to have an ability in changing many expression. Even though this is a war dance,
it does not restrict a young boy from dancing this. Baris can be performed at a temple festival as well as at non-ritual events.
Balinese dance is unique, dynamic, and the movement is very complex. When dancing, a dancer has to be able to
exercise all of her body's parts from head to toe.
The most important thing she needs to remember is she has to always bend her knees, her back, and keeps her shoulders wide open.
The uniqueness about Balinese dance that distinguishes it from others is in the eye movement or seledet.
The eyes are glanced right and/or left accompanied by the chin. While doing this, the eyes must be wide opened and must not be blinked.
Besides the movement of the entire body, facial expression is also very crucial. It shows the character of the dance; happy, angry, sad, shocked, love, etc.
A dance is a subtle combination of the movements of feeling, the body and the spirit.
There are many types of Balinese dance composed by Balinese artists. Sometimes one particular type of dance has slightly differences depends upon who the teacher is, what village she/he comes from, etc.
The core of the movements are standard, but each style might carry minor
improvisation. More and more dances are created since the Indonesian Art Institute in Bali was established. These dances are called "new creation dances".
JANGER
This dance was introduced in 1925 and became the first social dance in Bali where at least ten boys and ten girls dance and sing together.
The unique about this dance is at the very beginning of the dance they sing a song that states who they are
(i.e., students of a particular high school) or where they come from (a name of a village), how glad and pleased they are that we can gather, etc.
Then they sing about love, jokes, tease each group, etc. At the very end they sing a thank you and
farewell song.
THE COSTUMES IN BALINESE DANCE
There are various costumes of the dancers, depending on the type of the dance. For the temple ceremony purposes a female dancer basically wears
a traditional textile (kamen) that is wrapped around her waist down to her ankles, kebaya (preferably yellow), then on top of them a cloth belt wrapped around her waist.
Her hair is beautifully done and a konde of human hair is attached on the back of her head. Finally she puts some flowers on that.
This basic traditional costume is also worn when a female attends a wedding ceremony, a tooth filing ceremony, a funeral (but without flowers on the konde), etc.
Other dances require more elaborate costumes. When performing, the dancers are richly dressed. Layers of traditional textiles are wrapped around the chest down to the ankles.
On the textiles there is a belt of leather painted gold ( bobokan ).
Bracelets ( gelang kana ) of the same
material as the belt tightly encircle the upper and lower arms.
Headdress is also made of leather painted gold and imitation golden flowers as well as fresh ones stick to it.
The dancers also put thicker make up than usual on their faces especially around the eyes to give more dramatic accent.
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