'Bungbung': A scent of eroticism in Balinese dance

Tri Vivi Suryani, Contributor, Mengwi, Bali

The beautiful Ni Wayan Reni sways her body to the accompaniment of the slow and sometimes energetic traditional music being played on the bamboo xylophone-like instruments.

Her colorful, glittering costume tightly wrapped around her slim body, with fresh frangipani flowers woven in her hair, is another attraction for those in attendance, males in particular, at the bungbung dance performance at a village party in a remote hamlet in Mengwi, about 30 kilometers south of Denpasar.

Wayan Reni is the star of the village's bungbung dance troupe. Everybody is eager to see her perform, and as the music plays she begins looking for a "partner".

Her blinking eyes search the crowd for a man. While her body moves elegantly and sometimes erotically, she pulls a man out of the audience, puts a long shawl around his shoulder and they dance.

The performance is filled with suggestive body gestures, many times the dancers' bodies touch, accompanied by laughs or jeers from the crowd.

Unlike refined Balinese dances such as the Pendet or Legong, which are usually linked to religious rituals or court ceremonies, the bungbung is a profane art form intended only for pure entertainment.

It is a dance in which the performers and the audience can communicate directly. Selected audience members get to participate on stage, in this typical rural performing art in the rich Balinese agrarian society.

Introduced by dancers from Kerambitan in Tabanan and Bangli in South Bali, the popularity of bungbung reached its peak in the late l980s.

"I have performed in almost every village in Bali and even in luxury hotels," said Wayan Reni. The bungbung dance is one of the most eagerly awaited performances at every village party.

The word bungbung literally means hollow bamboo, which is the traditional musical instrument used to produce the background music for the dance.

A bungbung troupe consists of a number of young female dancers and male musicians. The troupe members travel across the island and perform wherever people will pay them for their services.

The bungbung is usually performed during village harvest parties, otonan (a life-cycle ceremony to celebrate a baby turning six months old) and melaspas (a ceremony to cleanse a new building of bad spirits).

Bungbung troupes also set up stages in outdoor areas like parks and charge admission. They are usually guaranteed a huge crowd, whether they are performing in the village or the city.

"I just want to watch the sexy joged (dancers)," said a male spectator.

Renowned for remarkable court dances and centuries-old sacred dances, the popular bungbung has sparked hot debate among Balinese artists and women's activists.

The bungbung has earned a reputation as an erotic and vulgar dance, and there has been a seemingly never-ending debate of the bungbung in the opinion pages of the local media.

One noted writer and women's activist, Mas Rucitadewi, once described the dance as degrading women.

"This is a show which only entertains the male-dominated audience, for whom the women become objects," she said.

Despite such harsh criticism, the bungbung remains popular. Dr. I Wayan Rai, rector of the Denpasar Arts Institute, sees the dance as an interesting social and cultural phenomenon.

In the last few years, the bungbung has been transformed from a modest rural dance into a more popular and erotic dance which often ignores local moral standards, Wayan Rai said.

There are a number of factors behind this change, including the rapid modernization of Balinese society, he said, adding that he hoped bungbung troupes would heed public criticism to improve their performances.

The bungbung dance can still be beautiful without the eroticism and vulgarity, he noted.

Dancer Wayan Reni said she never deliberately tried to be vulgar during her performances.

"My job is to dance and accompany pengibing (male audience members). It is a matter of opinion whether it is vulgar or not," she said.

Yet Wayan Reni admitted that she felt more comfortable performing at hotels. The audiences there, mostly foreigners, are more polite and treat the dancers appropriately, whereas in the villages anyone in the crowd can touch and grab the dancers, she said.

There is no doubt that the bungbung dance has become increasingly popular with tourists. Sekar Sari, public relations manager of the Nikko Hotel, has included the bungbung on the entertainment list for the hotel.

"So far the response from our guests has been positive," Sekar said.

The dance, she said, creates a warm and joyous atmosphere with its humorous and energetic movements. "I think the bungbung is worth seeing, especially when the dancers and musicians place more emphasis on the cultural elements," she maintained.

Despite its popularity, bungbung troupe members continue to receive little money for their performances. And most of the dancers regard the bungbung as more of a hobby than a career.

Each show, a bungbung dancer like Wayan Reni may get between Rp 600,000 (about US$60) and Rp 1.5 million ($150).

"But I have to share it with 28 musicians and five other dancers," she said with a smile. "The important thing is I get self-satisfaction by showing off my talents for the public."

Wayan Reni will continue dancing the bungbung until she gets married. "I'm pretty sure that my future husband would not allow me to perform the dance."