'Baris' dancers perform to please the gods

'Baris' dancers perform to please the gods

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

When the men came on stage with ferocious expressions on their
faces, each of them shouldering a 2-meter-long wooden spear and
their feet thumping the stage floor in a uniform rhythm, it was
clear to all in the audience that they were not going be
entertained by a gentle and artistically-refined dance.

And, indeed, in the next thirty minutes or so, the eight Baris
Buntal dancers gave the audience the chance to experience a
different side of Balinese traditional dance -- the tough, no-
nonsense side.

In Baris Buntal, the dancers do not smile. Instead, they
glower and growl menacingly and repeatedly. Neither do they make
any of the kind of eye movements that Balinese dancers are famous
for. In fact, the Baris Buntal dancers only make one type of eye
movement: threatening glares both at the audience and their
fellow dancers.

Their movements can only be described as simple, basic, coarse
and, sometimes, swift. And, with each dancer's hands fully-
occupied: the right hand gripping the spear, the left hand
clutching a small rattan shield, making intricate hand gestures
is definitely out of the question.

With uncomplicated choreographic compositions, the Baris
Buntal dancers display the ancient Balinese soldier's adeptness
in close quarter combat, offensive and defensive maneuvers, as
well as their esprit de corps.

"Baris dances are essentially warrior dances, the on-stage
version of the traditional Balinese soldier's skills and fighting
spirit," cultural observer Sugi B Lanus said.

The dancers who performed the Baris Buntal dance last Monday
as part of the 24th Bali Art Festival were villagers from
Pengotan, a small village in Bangli regency, some 40 kilometers
east of Denpasar.

Pengotan is one among a handful of villages in Bali that have
been able to keep their Baris dance tradition intact and
complete.

"We have eight different kinds of Baris dances in Pengotan,
namely Baris Jangkang, Baris Jojor, Baris Dadap, Baris Presi,
Baris Prancak, Baris Blongsong, Baris Buntal, and Baris Bajra,"
the head of the Pengotan traditional village council, I Wayan
Besar, said.

The differences between the eight dances lie in the movements
involved, the number of dancers and the types of weapons carried
by the dancers.

Baris Buntal, Dadap and Presi are performed by eight dancers,
while the other Baris dances are performed by 16 dancers. Presi
is the only Baris dance in which the dancers showcase their
combat skills using the kris (a traditional dagger), while the
rest of the Baris dances employ various types of spears.

"All of these Baris dances are sacred to us. Thus, we only
perform them for religious rituals and temple festivals," Besar
said.

The eight Baris dances are performed consecutively during the
village's biggest religious ceremony, Ngusaba, which falls on the
full-moon in the Sasih Karo month (mid-August until early
September), according to the Balinese calendar.

"Usually it takes around twelve hours to complete all the
Baris performances during the ceremony. The dancers tend to dance
longer and more passionate on this occasion as they believe they
are performing to please the gods," Besar said.