Watch a Traditional Balinese Dance

Dance, music and drama are important parts of Bali’s culture, and festival celebrations. A highlight of a visit to Bali and one of the most interesting ways to experience the island’s rich culture and spirituality is by watching a traditional dance performance. The beautiful ancient art of Balinese dance is intensely expressive and comes complete with elaborate costumes and mystical storytelling.
With so many temples and so many festivals, it is possible that you might stumble upon an authentic performance. There are also many staged performances that are put on specifically for tourists at the resorts, the Palace in Ubud, the Bali Collection theatre in Nusa Dua, and at some of the most famous temples.

There are many different traditional Balinese dances that you can see. One of the most popular and visually exciting is the Kecak Dance that tells the story of the Ramayana, which is also very important in Balinese Hinduism. There are no instruments used, just the men’s voices as the dancers perform a trance like fire dance ritual. One of the most dramatic settings to watch the Kecak dance being performed is at sunset on the cliffs at either Tanah Lot or Ulu Watu temples.
The Legong dance is also popular, it’s a very refined and elegant dance form characterized by expressive gestures, facial expressions, intricate finger movements and complicated footwork. In some ways it’s a little similar to Kerala’s Kathakali dance. The Barong dance is another vibrant and elaborate storytelling dance that represents the eternal struggle between good and evil.

To see a combination of all the dances head to the Devdan dance show at the Nusa Dua Theatre for a 90 minute colourful dance, culture and acrobatic extravaganza from all over Indonesia that cannot be missed.