Enchanting Balinese-Chinese dance drama

By I Wayan Juniarta

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): When the nine-meter-long traditional Chinese jung vessel rolled onto the stage, the hundreds of people who thronged the Werdhi Budaya Art Center's Ardha Chandra open- air stage gasped in awe.

Several beautiful girls clad in ancient Chinese costumes danced elegantly on the jung's deck, while a classical Chinese music composition was played in the background.

It was an enchanting scene indeed, and no doubt the audience was perfectly aware of that. They applauded time and again. Some even shouted their appreciation.

That scene was not the only one that succeeded in eliciting a warm response from the audience on Thursday night. In the next two hours, the audience applauded to various scenes in the dance- drama Sendratari Legenda Balingkang (The Legend of Balingkang).

The dance-drama was produced by the Bali branch of the Chinese-Indonesian Social Association (PSMTI) and staged as part of the 23rd Bali Arts Festival.

The story line was based on a local legend about a love story between a native King Sri Jayapangus and a Chinese merchant's daughter, Kang Ci Wie, who was cast ashore on the beautiful island of Bali after a merciless storm wrecked her father's trade vessel. "The audience surely loved the show, and why not, since it was a beautiful piece of performance," Bali's leading choreographer NLN Swasthi Widjaja said.

There was no doubt the performance was a feast for both the eyes and ears. The costumes were intricately designed and rich in color, and the music was both melodious and haunting.

Apparently, the choreographers had also meticulously prepared the plot so that it would have a most dramatic impact on the audience.

Take for example the storm-at-the sea scene, where the choreographers succeeded in riveting the audience by presenting the fateful incident in such a dramatic and exciting way.

The ship's crew, including the radiant Kang Ci Wie and her father, who were singing, dancing, and enjoying the sea breeze, were suddenly hit by a huge storm. Panic and fear reigned on board the ship. Suddenly, a green dragon emerged from the ocean. Brought to life by some 10 male performers, the shiny dragon danced majestically as if it were riding the blue waves and defying the treacherous ocean.

The scene reached its climax when the ship broke into three; its passengers thrown into the ocean. Then all the stage lights went off. For several seconds the stage was silent and engulfed by darkness.

The show offered many humorous moments as well, such as the awkward effort by the local villagers to speak to the rescued Kang Ci Wie and her father, who could only speak Chinese and not a single word of the Balinese language. The two parties finally resorted to sign and body language, which was, of course, prone to misunderstanding. The audience had a good laugh.

Since Kang Ci Wie's father's entourage spoke only in Chinese, while the Balinese spoke the native tongue, the show owed a huge debt of gratitude to its Bahasa Indonesia narrator, Bali's leading poet Warih Wisatsana, who perfectly bridged the language barrier with his well-selected words and phrases.

Two thumbs up for the choreographer's accomplishment, too. Nyoman Cerita of the Ubud-based Cudamani troupe and Liangga Sindhu Bastian of the Surabaya-based Angga Lee Contemporary Dance Company succeeded in seamlessly integrating the dance compositions of two different cultures into one flowing performance.

The scenes where Balinese performers danced to Chinese music, or when Kang Ci Wie and King Jayapangus danced romantically to Balinese gamelan melody, were as natural as the others scenes.

To learn that they only had three days to integrate the dances, which involved at least 150 dancers who had never met before, was another big surprise.

"We have been rehearsing since three months ago, but separately. The Balinese dancers prepared in Bali, while my dancers in Surabaya. But, Cerita and I communicated intensively during that period," soft-spoken Liangga said.

"The key is tolerance, humility, mutual respect and willingness to help each other. I believe that's why we could achieve such fine integration in such a short time," Nyoman Cerita added.

The third group involved in the performance was the Denpasar- based Mutiara Naga Barong-say Chinese lion dance troupe. Led by Ida Bagus Adnyana, the guardian of Griya Konco Tanah Kilap Temple -- a place revered by both Balinese and Chinese people -- the troupe gave a powerful performance at the wedding scene of King Jayapangus and Kang Ci Wie.

Chairman of PSMTI Budi Argawa, who led the efforts to generate the more than Rp 68 million need to finance the performance, gave one more reason behind the success of the performance. A few weeks before the important night, the organizing committee members and choreographers visited the village of Balingkang in Kintamani, believed to be the site of King Jayapangus's Panarajon kingdom. There, in the temple of Dalem Balingkang, they prayed and held a special ritual to ask for Jayapangus and Kang Ci Wie's blessing for the success of the performance.

"Our country is torn by various ethnic conflicts, and we want to contribute something to ease the pain of those conflicts. I personally believe that the spirits of King Jayapangus and Kang Ci Wie have blessed our performance," he said solemnly.

The main message of the show was indeed about the brotherhood of mankind. That two different ethnic groups living harmoniously together is not an unreachable dream, or beyond human capability. King Jayapangus and Kang Ci Wie had demonstrated it, and all the people who were involved in Sendratari Legenda Balingkang proved it once again.

With many Balinese male performers glancing admiringly at the Chinese female dancers, who happened to be drop-dead gorgeous, there is big possibility that the story of King Jayapangus and Kang Ci Wie will be repeated.