Kecak – unique fire dance in the sunset of Bali island

Afternoon is the best time to visit Uluwatu Temple, located in the southwest of the beautiful tourist island of Bali. Not only to admire the beautiful sunset, visitors often come here in the late afternoon to watch the famous Kecak dance performance, also known as the ‘Bali Fire Dance’.
At 5:00 p.m., when the sunset begins to drop, visitors fill the open stage with an arc, located on a cliff jutting out into the beautiful Bali Sea. Before the pandemic, each performance stage with a capacity of 1,400 visitors was always sold out, showing the attractiveness of this performance.

The stage is set where there is a beautiful sunset. Wyan Wijana, the manager of the Uluwatu temple area, said: “Since cultural activities are allowed to resume with strict health protocols, we launch the Kecak Dance program in a time of peace. usually new in Bali. The ticketing system is done online. Each stage is only allowed to receive a maximum of 400-500 visitors to ensure distance, dancers and tourists must wear masks or goggles and disinfect before entering the stage. The dancers are tested for Covid-19 periodically to ensure safety.” At exactly 18 o’clock, when the red sun fell near the sea horizon, right in front of the stage’s view, the show began. 90 male dancers with topless tanned skin, wrapped in a black and white checkered sarong from waist to knee appeared one after another, giving off a sense of mystery. Dancers perform on an outdoor stage. Without music, the entire sound of the performance was made by the dancers by repeatedly singing “sure-sure-sure” sounds (in the word “kecak”) like an Acappela with full tones. highs and lows and accompanying applause. The Kecak dance performance consists of 5 parts, simulating Asia’s most famous epic Ramayana. In Bali, the epic Ramayana has become part of Hindu culture and teachings. When the dancers sit arranged in multi-layered circles, the main characters are King Rama and Queen Shinta, and the white monkey king Hanuman and the giant Ravana appear. King Rama and Queen Shita wore red and blue traditional costumes, crowned their heads with beautiful and profound Balinese dance moves depicting passionate love, while giant Ravana with a fierce makeup face appeared. kidnapped Queen Shinta. Dancers playing the role of the White Monkey King Hanuman quickly jumped up the walls, climbed onto the stage, and even teased tourists watching the show to get their laughter. This is the character who sacrificed himself, breaking the prison to save the Empress Shinta. Shinta dances Bali with King Rama. Ms. Tu Thuy, a Vietnamese tourist, shared: “It’s great to be able to watch the Kecak dance performance with the sunset on the sea. The sea breeze and the unique performances and interaction with the audience for more than an hour passed quickly. I hope one day I can experience Kecak dance with a different perspective in Bali.” The sun disappeared, the sky was patched with patches of red, orange, blue-violet and then gradually turned dark, and that was when the performance came to an end. The dancers lit torches to light up the entire stage, continued to sing “definitely-surely” louder and louder, beginning the final scene of burning the White Monkey King alive. The battle of the monkey army and the giant Ravana to rescue the White Monkey King and Queen Shinta created beautiful fire dances. At the end, King Rama and Queen Shinta danced a reunion dance while the monkey army celebrated their victory. Bali fire dance. Kecak dance appeared in Bali since 1930 as a Hindu musical dance. In 2006, more than 5,000 dancers performing Kecak dance in Badung district, Bali province, were recorded in the Museum of World Records Indonesia (MURI) for traditional cultural and artistic values ​​in Bali. Watching Bali’s sunset and watching the cultural show “Kecak Dance” is truly an unforgettable experience for visitors. Some pictures of the show: The sound of “Sure-sure-sure” was heard continuously during the performance. Queen Shinta in traditional Balinese dress. The giant Ravana with a fierce face. Monkey King Hanuman climbs onto the stands to tease visitors. The scene of the monkey king Hanuman being burned. The dance ended the show.