Wednesday, August 14th, 2024 - A Free Day in Ubud - Balinese Beauty, Parade and Dance

 

Grounds of Kajane Hotel

This was a rare event during this photography tour, where we had an entire unscheduled day. I knew that there was great beauty in Ubud, even though it is a busy tourist town, so I set off with my camera. First I wandered the grounds of our hotel, Kajane, which in spite of being on Monkey Forest Road - the main drag - had extensive and beautifully tended grounds.

Restaurant Terrace, Kajane

The hotel evoked the spirit of Ubud, which is regarded as the center for traditional arts and dance. In fact, I knew we would be photographing a dance in the evening, so I was pleased to know we would experience that aspect of Balinese culture.

Ubud Kelod - Community Center

Upon venturing down Monkey Forest Road, I was not disappointed to find this wonderful building showing classic Balinese palatial architecture with its vibrant colors, ornate carvings and intricate details. It is a community center, which offers performances of dance - however, it is not our venue for tonight. 

(It certainly puts the community buildings of Fernandina Beach to shame, doesn't it! Perhaps that's a consequence of not having strong cultural ties - we've all come from such diverse ethnicities and backgrounds, we lose those cultural identities and end up being just pragmatic!)

Independence Day Parade

We were three days away from the 17th of August, which is Indonesia's Independence Day. As I ventured down Monkey Forest Road, I saw people gathering in a field opposite and saw that there were many children and adults gathered. Poeple conveyed to me it was an Independence Day Parade. The sign here says 'Red and White Parade of Ubud District, in the framework of 29th Anniversary of the year 2024, Wednesday, 14th August, 2024'.

Indonesia became independent on 17th, August, 1945, so this year is its 79th anniversary. The Indonesians declared their independence in 1945, shortly before the Japanese occupation of the 2nd World War ended, but it took four more years before the Netherlands agreed to give up their colony and transfer sovereignty to the 'Republic of the United States of Indonesia' (now known more simply as the Republic of Indonesia). Those four years were a period of warfare with the Dutch and their European allies. The resolution to acknowledge their independence in December 1945 was mediated by the United Nations.

Children Lead the Way

As you might guess from the photos, the national colors are red and white. Red represents the blood and courage of the Indonesian people while white represents their purity of spirit. 

When you consider that the Dutch East India Company came here for spices in the 1600's, it was a great change for this country to navigate. The 300 year period of colonization did consolidate the region's boundaries and provided a language which I was told is one of the easiest to learn. The roots of independence had begun in 1928 when young people came together and articulated that this huge collection of islands were 'one nation, one people, one language'. The leader of that movement, Sukarno, later became the country's first President.

Getting Ready

I presumed that the children represented different schools in the area. There was a strong level of adult supervision, just like any children's parade.

Private Dance School?

Some of the groups, though, looked as if they might represent specialized groups. This beautiful collection of children echoed the style of dress that we saw in the dance later in the evening - traditional eye make-up and dresses.

Drum Majors

These two adorable girls were dressed in more Western style and appeared to be the drum majors, leading the group up the road to a podium where a group of officials were gathered at a table.

A Big Responsibility!

The adorable girl with the baton, took her job very seriously.

Rangda

The parade had small performances with several traditional Balinese characters. This one is Rangda, a Demon Queen who eats children and leads an army of evil witches against the forces of good.

Rangda Won the Battle!

Unfortunately, Rangda won the battle. Happily the victory feast was not enacted - the boys happily got up and bounced away.

Barong - King of the Spirits

This mask represents a character called Barong, who is the enemy of Rangda, which means he's a 'good guy'. The mask was connected to a lion-like body which took two people to manage. The dancer who inhabited the mask gave me a wonderful grin after the performance.

A Mother's Request

As I was clicking away, a woman tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to take photos of her daughter, who was about to perform. She figured that my zoom lens might do a better job than her cell phone. So I focused in on the girl and later sent the images to the Mom through What's App. She was very cute and the mother proudly told her friends on What's App that a 'foreign photographer' had taken these photos of her daughter.

Ubud Palace - Puri Saren Agung

Bali has a long history of Kings and Kingdoms dating from the 900's which persisted until as late as the the early 1900's when the Dutch defeated them. The name Ubud means 'medicine' and dates back to the 8th century when a Hindu priest from Java decided that the confluence of two rivers in the area was a good site for meditation. It has been known as a center of natural healing for centuries.

The palace here was built by the royal family in the 1800's and showcases many of the elements of formal Balinese architecture. The buildings surround a central courtyard with much statuary arranged in symmetrical patterns. This is believed to create a sense of harmony & tranquility.

Ornate Doors at Ubud Palace

The elaborate doors were similar to ones we saw as we were driving through many of the towns here. Hidden behind these doors and walls were household compounds that include a household temple. I really wanted to take my camera behind those doors.....but it would have been like wandering into someone's yard without permission, so I stayed disappointed.

Tropical Weathering - Ubud Palace

Given the hot and wet weather of the island, keeping up with the damage caused by plant growth has to be enormous. Here you see the lovely effects of weathering with the moss covered walls, uneven coloration of bricks and a lovely decay, that somehow enhances the beauty.

Masks for Sale - Monkey Forest Road

Ubud itself is relatively small with a population of about 75,000.However, it hosts more than three million tourists each year - many foreigners. It boasts fine silver craftsmanship, woodwork and other artisinal skills which draw people here. The streets are busy with traffic and motorcycles, but it is small enough that much can be seen on foot. I snooped around a number of stores and markets and found some batik fabric and silver jewelry to bring home.

A Kecak Dancer Gets Ready for the Show

Arrangements had been made for us to attend a kecak dance in the evening, with the opportunity to photograph a couple of the dancers as they prepared their make-up and costumes. As you see, the make-up base is applied fairly heavily.

Eye Make-Up is Complete

As I had seen with the young girls in the parade in the morning, the eye make-up is also applied heavily - not surprising for a theatrical setting.

The Costume is Tied

You can see the sophistication of their 'dressing room' - it was outdoors, under a pavilion. You see the girls didn't have the benefit of anything other than a hand-held mirror.

The Headdress Completes the Preparation 

The girls we photographed were to appear in a dance later in the show. 

Lovely!

All finished!

The Outdoor Stage

The dance was held at a place called Pura Puseh Batubalan and is a form of Balinese dance that was developed in the 1930's under the influence of a German painter and musician who adapted the well known Indian epic of Ramayana to appeal to western audiences. It does not have instrumentation, but has a choir of 100 men providing the music and telling the tale. The outdoor stage is part of a 10th century Hindu temple and the dance tells the story of Prince Rama fighting forces of evil.

Front Row Seats Reserved for Us

We were fortunate to have front row seats reserved, but I knew the lighting would be poor and was not confident that my slower zoom lens would capture much that was worthwhile.

The Stage is Prepared

A candelabra was set up in the middle of the stage.

The Choir Arrives

The dance is called a trance dance - the music is very chant-like and repetitive. 

I didn't have the foresight to take any video myself, but I found this one on You Tube, to give you an idea of the musical form. It is from the same temple and looks like the same girls we photographed. You might not want to watch the whole thing - it just gives you a taste.

The Dancers Appear

We were given a description of the dance, which involves the characters of Prince Rama, his wife Sita, and younger brother Laksamana, but I regret I still was not able to follow who was who. I think the woman on the left represents Prince Rama and the one on the right is Laksamana - but I could be wrong.

(Thanks to lots of de-noise apps and sharpening tools, I was able to retrieve my very grainy photos to this state which renders them worth sharing. Perfect they are not, but they help tell the story.)

Demon King Rahwana

The bad actor in the story is a Demon King, Rahwana. I think this is his character. He captures Rama's wife Sita, and takes her to his palace.

Hanoman

Next, this white monkey, Hanoman, appears at the Demon King's palace. Although he looks scary, he is a 'good guy' and conveys a message from Sita to Rama in which she asks to be rescued.

Sita?

I think this is Sita. She looks unhappy. The hands are important in both Balinese and Javanese dance - note how precisely she positions her fingers.

Garuda Rescues Rama

The hero of the day is a winged character, called Garuda who is a protector. His wings allow him to move swiftly to defend the powers for good. He finds and releases Prince Rama, who had also been captured by a dragon. 

Sugriwa - King of the Monkeys

The final event is the arrival of the king of the monkeys, Sagriwa, who has a fight with the son of the Demon King which results in Rama, Sita and Laksamana all being able to return home happily. Good triumphs over evil, an ending we all wish for!

Our Two Dancers

Our two dancers were on next - performing a dance called Sanghyang Dedari, which was developed from a traditional dance. It seeks to drive evil spirits away from villages and stop them being infested with sickness or death. It was a trance dance and in the past would have been performed by underaged girls who were virgins. 

Sanghyang Jaran Dance

The final dance started with this odd man with a horse head and ring of palm leaves. The notes we were given say that he represents an entranced boy dancer, Jaran, who is riding a horse.

Fire Dance

Jaran dances around a bonfire made from coconut husks.

The Song Leads Jaran to the Fire

As Jaran continues to dance, the song leads him to the fire and he dances in it.

Stirring up the Fire

He continues to dance and goes into the fire repeatedly until the coconut husks burn down to almost nothing. It was dramatic and a mystery as to how his palm leaves 'horse' did not catch fire.

Black Feet

The fire is reduced and he sits, seemingly exhausted. It is very clear that his feet have been in the fire! It was an odd performance and I hope that he has developed calluses that protect him from pain.

The End

Finally, the cast came back for 'curtain call' behind the embers of the fire. It had been an evening of music and dance that was very different from anything I've seen before. It relayed a complex story that is probably familiar to most Hindus, but was completely unfamiliar to me. The colors and costuming were spectacular, the dance was stylized and slow moving (other than the fire dance) and the evening had been most interesting.

I hope you have enjoyed my day in Ubud.