T he backbone of Balinese culture is dance, which is performed during temple festivals and in ceremonies of the cycle of live and death. What is performed in hotels and restaurants for tourists is only a small fraction of what Balinese dance has to offer. Balinese dance is inseparable from religion. A small offering of food and flowers must precede even dances for tourists. The obsessive sound of a choir from beyond the dust of ages suddenly rises between the lofty trees.
Darkness looms over the stage.
Hundreds of bare-breasted men sit in a circle around the flickering light of an oil lamp chandelier. They start dancing to the rhythmic sound of their own voices, their hands raised to the sky and bodies shaking in unison. This is the unique kecak, perhaps the most popular of all Balinese dances. Visitor rarely leave the island of Bali without first seeing a kecak performance. Originally the kecak was just an element of the older Sang Hyang trance dance.