Tightly wound in golden costumes, quivering flowers atop tooled leather crowns, the dancers’ eyes dart from side to side, matching the energy in their hands as their fingers seem to shimmer in their joints. Balinese dance is perhaps one of the most well-known in the world.

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The third performance was the unique and rare Baris Jangkang from Nusa Penida Island, Klungkung regency. Baris Jangkang portrays the army of demons which served the King of Nusa Penida, Dalem Bungkut, in a war against the human troops from the main land, Bali Island.

The performance began with the appearance of two clowns with comical masks which served as attendants of Dalem Bungkut. They introduced the plot, provided some explanations on Dalem Bungkut characters and war situation. After the clown retreated, a group of dancers in red equipped with long spears entered the stage. The made a war formation and then kneeled down waited for their leaders, their waiting was not long, two dancers entered the stage, the King of Nusa Penida, Dalem Bungkut and his war lord, I Macaling. They danced grotesquely, laughed maniacally, and conversed in strange demon language, a strange but artistic performance to behold. After Dalem Bungkut and his war lord left the stage, the army of demons began to dance with their slow simple movements, depicting bizarre movements of the demons, sometimes menacing sometimes producing a slight smile on the lips of the audiences. The dancers changed their positions several times before retreating to the back of the stage.

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