Balinese dance to attract tourism
Over 5000 people danced in a trance outside a Balinese temple on Friday in a performance aimed at reviving the Indonesian island’s tourism industry, which has enjoyed recovery from most markets is still suffering from a lack of Australian arrivals.
The Kecak dancers, dressed in checkered black-and-white sarongs, raised their arms and chanted “Cak Cak Cak” in a frenzied chorus at the foot of the grand Hindu Pura Tanah Lot temple overlooking the sea, just as the sun went down.
A Kecak performance traditionally involves between 75 and 100 people, and organizers said a performance on this scale was unprecedented saying, “The event is aimed at reviving the spiritual, cultural and economic aspects of Balinese life.
Performers included former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and many foreign tourists, watched the performance dubbed “Cakolosal 5000” from a specially constructed platform, with Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist religious leaders offering prayers for peace before the performance began under tight security and the show ending with a spectacular fireworks display.
The Kecak is among the most dramatic of Balinese dances. Rooted in the so-called sanghiang trance dance and drawing on elements from the Hindu epic Ramayana, it is a mix of theatre, music and dance.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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