Bali
Information
THE PERIODS OF INDONESIAN DANCING
As
culture is in fact the product of all human activities be
it physical, spiritual or abstract, we call say that the two
social classes were cultured. Since however the class of the
feudal aristocracy was strong and rich it is not surprising
that its cultural growth was more rapid and more advanced
than that of the common people. Consequently, the growth and
development of Indonesian dancing during tile period of feudal
society had a dual nature. The growth of dancing of tile aristocracy
was favorable and of high quality while that of the common
people was just opposite.
Indonesian
classical dances which have maintained their high aesthetic
value are those Of the Surakarta style, Yogyakarta style,
Sunda style and Bali style.
Among
these styles, the Bali styles has made a most unusual development
by comparison with the other. This is because the essence
of Balinese dancing has been Supported by a society the structure
of which is rather different from that of the other societies,
It is true that Bali also has periods of primitive society,
feudal society and modern society, but the social structure
on this island bas always been wholly permeated by the religious
aspect of life. And religious life is not exclusive in Balinese
society; generally speaking, all the members of society in
Bali irrespective of class, embrace the Hindu-Bali or Hindu
Dharma religion.
The
Hindu-Dharma religion is much dependent upon dances much as
a ceremonial medium in its religious ceremonies and there
are even dances which have the sole function of being offerings
to God. Consequently, dancing in Bali has been able to develop
most favourably, especially after Indonesia became independent.
Consistent
with the essence of dancing in Bali and its intimate relationship
with religious life, the development of dancing in Bali displays
a dual nature today. On the one hand, it serves the interests
of the religious life and on the other hand, it has the profane
function of a product of art the beauty of which can be enjoyed
apart from its religious elements. Today dances that used
to be exclusively offerings to God, such as the Pendet Dance
for example, can be shown as an ordinary performance, for
instance on such occasions as welcoming guests of honour who
visit Bali.
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