Balinese Lifestyle

Legend has it that many eons ago, deities, looking down from heaven, took pity on the sorry state of affairs in Java and removed one of the mountains from Mahameru (the Himalayas). They divided it into top, middle and bottom and these parts became respectively Mount Semeru in East Java, Gunung Agung in Bali, and Mount Rinjani in lombok.

Recent history (perhaps in 75 AD) tells of the passage of the holy waters from the mountain sanctuary in Semeru to Gunung Agung, where East Javanese priests founded the Besakih Temple. In March 1979, the ritual of Eka Dasa Rudra took place as the re-enactment of the ancient migration.
The standards of the Besakih gods – the banners, spears, umbrellas, and assorted paraphernalia swept out of the Besakih temple descending the long steps and down the hill to Pura Manik Mas temple, followed behind by magnificently costumed rejang selonding dancers from Bungaya, accompanied by the ancient selonding orchestra – a rarity and a coup for any ceremony.
Next to the parade, a group of sixty boys and girls from the Bali Aga village of Tenganan in ancient dress - kamben gringsing sarong and kris swords - were followed by other youngsters coming from the East Bali village of Bungaya in spectacular majestic dress.
Many adolescent Balinese traditionally like to get married when the stars are right by kidnapping, ngerorod. The pairs would hide for three days in a friend’s home before the marriage was legal according to Balinese customs one day following the Galungan Holy Day, celebrated this year on Wednesday 18 June. After three days, newlyweds roll up their mattress and walk off to the husband’s home. Many rituals take place here and there along the journey to nuptial bliss, not fully realized until the masakapan wedding ceremony, which may be 50 years later, but more often within the month.
The ngerorod marriage is gaining popularity in rural districts over ‘mapinang’ (by proposal) or ‘ngidih’ (by request) and ‘mapadik’ (by arrangement) forms, due to the complaint and expense, which can be avoided by ngerorod ‘flash wedding’.
There are also a good Wednesday Buda Cemeng, the last one preceding Galungan Holy Day, and the odalan anniversary held in the house shrine of merajan. Each house and many government offices have a small courtyard pesanggahan agung, in which stand shrines to various Hindu and Balinese deities.
In the case of a house temple sanggah or merajan (of a Tri Wangsa family of caste), ancestors are enshrined in special pelinggih altars. Many pelinggih shrines are so big that they achieve temple status, for example shrines of all puri (royal palaces).
Pura Samuan Tiga is arguably the most majestic temple in Bali, but this temple located in Bedulu village nearby Goa Gajah (Balinese ancient heritage) is one of many tourist attractions in the Pejeng archaeological area in Gianyar Regency. It lies on the highway leading from the Semabaung crossroads to Tampaksiring’s Pura Tirta Empul temple, established in Manukaya village. On the same day (Buda Cemeng), Pura Besakih, Pura Batur, Pura Penambangan Denpasar and Pura Merta Sari Sanur, have their odalan festivals, each being renowned for unique rites and dances.
The district around Pejeng is really the origin of cultural centers developing since early pre-WW II by arrival of artists, writers and archaeologists both from Jakarta and overseas. Take the example of Miguel Covarrubias’ book ‘Island of Bali’, 1937), and Walter Spies and the Ketjak Dance (his creation), another.
John Darling’s intimate documentary, Lempad of Bali, is about 20th century Bali, from the arrival of the Dutch in 1906, through the Japanese WW II occupation and the onslaught of Western values via tourism. The star of the Darling’s documentary is not Lempad himself, but instead the latter’s son Gusti Made Gunung who was also acting as speaker for his father, Gusti Nyoman Lempad when I visited at his home in 1968. (Surawan)

Ami Hasegawa Creates Legong Sakura

The Legong Dance is not a strange terminology in the matter of the performing arts in Bali. The dancer image has come to the fore brightly in many illustrations as a beautiful girl dressed in superb mode, rich in ornaments, complete with shining head cover, all of which make the dance highly attractive to public audiences, including overseas lovers of arts.

At seems as if the easily smiling dancer with her glancing eyes and dance style has become an unlimited source to the advantage of painting’s theme, postcard photography and illustrations of books on Bali. Among the foreign art lovers, there is Ami Hasegawa (28), a Japanese woman, who has studied Balinese dance at Denpasar’s Indonesian Academy of Arts (STSI).
Ami is not a brilliant Legong dancer, but she has succeeded in composing choreography springing out of strict the discipline of this dance. The dance, she entitled ‘Legong Sakura’, has appeared several times on stage in Bali, including the performance at PKB Bali’s Arts Festivals. Such a success by a Japanese has been of special value amid breath-taking fear among the contemporary Balinese community.
The Japanese is a foreigner who is a dancer capable of composing a dance conceived as owning complex movements dedicated to Balinese performing artists. More exciting is it to know that the female artist comes from Kanagawa and will soon appear on stage to show her creation together with originally qualified Legong dancers, Ms. Ni Ketut and Ms. Kadek Somawati. Stage action by Ami has been not inferior compared with both supporting dancers.
Ami seems not to be without consideration. She has studied Balinese dancing and has mastered seven ‘variants’ of Legong Dance’s theme, considered to be strenuous and difficult to carry out. Apart from Legong Lasem, coming out of Panji story – a common theme of Legong – she has been also professional in less popular Legong, such as Legong Candrakanta, telling the story of moon and sun.
She went in search of Legong not merely until Denpasar’s ASTI Academy but also by hunting it among traditional experts known as ‘Empu Legong’ in rural areas. The Sakura woman has applied her artistic technical skill to stimulate creative power of the Japanese girls. She seemingly springs out of tiny pink Sakura flowers flourishing at the beginning of spring in April. The beauty-related theme and the flourishing atmosphere are the core of the Legong Dance esthetic.
Legong Sakura seems to be solid as a Legong dance, as demonstrated explicitly in its structure and wealth of motions. Interaction between the dance and the gamelan arrangement flows neatly for around 15 minutes, in a dialogue effort with idiom of bodily gymnastics and composition play crowned by the fascinating flora in the Country of Sakura.
The intimacy of the dialogue by Ami Hasegawa has reflected a collaborative trick, mixed with some Japanese color, while explicitly modifying the three dancers’ dresses into a kimono style, accompanied with the insertion of a pentatonic melody. There is even a part when the three dancers performed a configuration of a Sakura flower.
Legong Sakura has been a contribution for palegongan, a dance having a pattern of Legong. Ami Hasegawa, seemingly the first foreigner to compose Legong dance, has been an artist showing great zest and seriousness in engaging herself in the realm of this well known classical Balinese dance.
“I would continue to study Balinese dance and dedicate more time to learn Legong dance from artist teachers”, Ami said prior of taking the floor in Cak Amaterasu—Bali-Japanese Cak collaboration in the arena of the 25th PKB.
Ami now possesses her own Balinese Sanggar Dance Group, demonstrating her great care of various Legong classical Balinese dances still preserved secretively.(Kadek Suartaya)

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