BARONG & RANGDA DANCE

Barong and Rangda or kris dance is a battle between good and evil. Barong can take various form but in this dance he takes the from of the Barong Keket, the most holy of the barong. The Barong Keket is a strange creature, half shaggy dog, half lion and is played by two men in much the same way as a circus clown-horse. His opponent is the witch Rangda.

The Barong personifies good and protects the village from the witch Rangda, but he's also a mischievous and fun loving creature. He flounces into the temple courtyard, saps his jaws at the Gamelan, dance around and enjoys the acclaim of his supporters a group of men with krises. Then Rangda makes her Pendulous breasts wobbling, human entrails draped around her neck, fangs protruding from her mounth and saber-like fingernails clawing the air.

Now the Barong is no longer the clown, but the protector. The two duel with their magical powers and the Barong's supporters draw their krises and rush in to attack the with. Rangda puts them in a trance and the men try two stab themselves, but the Barong also has great magical powers and casts a spell which stops the krises from harming the men. This is the most dramatic part of the dance as the gamelan rings crazily the men rush back and forth, waving their krises around, all but foaming at the mouth, sometimes even rolling on the ground in a desperate attempt to stab themselves.