'Joged' dance combines art and eroticism

By Kadek Suartaya

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Twenty-seven beautiful dancers sway their bodies erotically. With sensual smiles, they challenge the audience, mostly men with their eyes wide open, to follow their moves.

The dancers hypnotize and lure viewers while taking part in the four-day joged (dance) competition, held here in mid-July.

Nine regencies take part in the competition and each of them are represented by three dancers, who flirt with their eyes or move their bodies seductively.

Several dancers try to reveal every curve of their body through transparent kebaya (traditional attire for women), while the shy ones simply smile or shake their hips a bit.

All the actions by the dancers are greeted with a warm response by the audience.

In the joged competition, organized for the first time here, each dancer can only dance with male partners twice, the first one from their own group and the other from the audience.

In the first round, the pengibing, the dancer's partner, shows his dancing skills and then tries to tease the dancer with his humorous gestures.

Joged is really popular in Bali. Actually, there are several types, but the one which still exists today is Joged Bumbung. The dance is called Joged Bumbung because its performances are accompanied by gamelan instruments made of bamboo, or bumbung. Joged Bumbung can be found in almost every part of Bali, but interestingly, each one has its own unique characteristic.

The joged show depends on participation, meaning that the performance is held in a casual not formal atmosphere. But sometimes things get out of control during the performance.

For instance, a dancer could encounter a partner without manners who might touch or make advances toward her.

Joged dancers have a long history all their own.

In the 1880s, Dutch scientist Van Eck made a note about the traditional performance. He said while witnessing the performance at a folk party, he saw the dancers paid between five to six Bali coins by their partners. With payment, the dancers would let themselves be held and touched. He considered it funny when he saw a dancer embraced and kissed by young and old men in the darkness of the night.

And according to a report by Dutch medical expert Jacob in 1881, a Balinese king presented five joged dancers to his guests.

The five dancers were beautiful experts wearing magnificent sarongs while letting their long hair, adorned with flowers, fall to their waist. The performance of the five dancers -- the king's personal collection -- was staged in dim light and accompanied by soft tunes from gamelan instruments which gave an erotic impression as the dancers, who were no longer virgins, studied their audience. The beautiful dancers then approached their guests, waiting for more intimate things they could do.

In the Balinese kingdom, joged dancers were owned by the king and royal members. It was assumed that joged dancers were mistresses. For instance, Joged Pingitan, was a name given to dancers under the king's power. These dancers would be loyal and ready to serve any of his orders, which included being "presented" to entertain his guests.

The presence of colonialism and the fall of feudalism in Bali, which was then followed with a ban of having mistresses, made a cleaner image for joged with more of an emphasis on the artistic side.

But its bad image would not vanish. Now, in modern times in Bali, joged dancers still carry a tarnished image, although they are no longer like they were during the feudalism era.

And through the joged competition, it is hoped that the image can improve.

"I'm not a joged dancer, I do this only for competition," said Ni Wayan Sukanti, 20, a student at the Indonesia Art Institute in Denpasar. It seems that for her, the joged dance still carries a negative image.

But Ni Putu Sti Novayani, 21, who represented Jemberana regency, did her profession as a joged dancer proudly.

"My income is from the joged dance," said the junior high school graduate.