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The sound of
gamelan melodies flashing

From morning
to night non stop

Accompanying
the dancer's movements

Glancing,
shuffling, stepping, poising...

(Taksu: Never Ending Art Creativity)

Click here to go to Dances

Click here to listen a gamelan sample

(Taksu: Never Ending Art Creativity)

Click here to go to Dances

Click here to listen a gamelan sample

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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 meterial 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.

    To see detail of the costume, the sketch above which is drawn by Miguel Covarrubias* is worth to examine.

Click here to read the Indonesian Text

*Covarrubias, Miguel (1938) Island of Bali . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.