'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.