Kecak Fire Dance Performances

Kecak  Fire Dance Performances
Watch Kecak and Fire Dance at Batubulan village in sunset time, A Kecak performance is very simple. The men’s chorus chants the words Cak ke-cak ke-cak ke-cak ke-cak ke-cak, in rhythm, over and over again, For this reason they are called the Kecak or Cak dance. The Kecak dances consist of about fifty men wearing only a loin-cloth, the upper part of their bodies left bare. They form rows of circles, in the middle of which is a coconut oil lamp. The Kecak dance is performed for dance-dramas and the story presented is taken from the Ramayana epic.

kecak dance

In the 1930s Wayan Limbak worked with German painter Walter Spies to create the Kecak from movements and themes in the traditional sanghyang exorcism ritual and the portions of the Ramayana. This collaboration between artists worked to create a dance that was both authentic to Balinese traditions but also palatable to Western tourist's narrow tastes at the time.

"Kecak Dance in the 1930s"

"In the 1930s Wayan Limbak worked with German painter Walter Spies to create the Kecak from movements and themes in the traditional sanghyang exorcism ritual and the portions of the Ramayana. This collaboration between artists worked to create a dance that was both authentic to Balinese traditions but also palatable to Western tourist's narrow tastes at the time.