The Bruner Family Journey: More Scenes From Bali: Art, Culture & Everyday Life

Talia poses with Balinese dancer

The strong influence of Hinduism is evident in Bali's art, culture, and everyday life. There are religious festivals and parades throughout the island on almost a daily basis; a rich tradition of Balinese music, costumes and dance that draws heavily from Hindu myths and narratives; and a vibrant arts scene based on a distinctive aesthetic sensibility.

Talia especially enjoyed the two dance performances that we attended. The first performance that we saw was the Kecak dance, which depicts a battle from the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana, where the monkey-like creature Vanara helps the good Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. The dance is accompanied by an all-male chorus, with no musical instrumentation. It was originally a religious trance-inducing ritual, but was transformed in the 1930s into a dramatic dance show intended for Western audiences. It's an interesting example of how Hindu ritual in Bali has become "art." At first, I was a bit cynical about watching a performance that wasn't "indigenous" and instead was designed merely to entertain foreign tourists. But it was indeed entertaining and in the end I enjoyed the show as much as Talia did.

Scene from the Barong dance

We also saw a performance of the Barong dance, which - like the Kecak dance - tells an ancient mythical tale of the battle between good and evil. Among other fanciful and dramatic plot points, the dance involves a spell of dark magic that makes soldiers fighting for the good want to kill themselves by stabbing themselves in the thoracic cavity with sharpened daggers. Thankfully, the dance also involves a counter-spell that somehow makes the soldiers resistant to the thrust of the extra-sharp daggers. (No one said the dances were based on realistic medical principles.) Jeremy was particularly enthralled with the part of the dance where the soldiers were staggering around the stage in a fit of attempted self-destruction. Talia liked the brilliant costumes and the contorted, exaggerated looks on the dancers' faces.

Scene at a sacred fish pond outside a Hindu temple

But there's also a good dose of theater in everyday life. Just walk down the street and you're likely to see a crowd of impeccably dressed people headed to a religious ceremony, or a colorful festival associated with a marriage, birth or death. Indeed, whenever you drive (or in our case, were driven) anywhere on Bali, it's a good idea to take into account the congestion that will be caused by the ritual processions scheduled for that day.

Especially in and around the city of Ubud, during your daily wanderings, you're also likely to see some Balinese music as well as an art gallery or two. There are plenty of typical tourist souvenirs for sale, but there's some genuine creativity too, ranging from traditional themes from Hindu mythology to the purely avant-garde.

Jeremy practices his Indonesian music

Finally, as with most of the places we've visited during this trip, it was a fascinating experience to spend some time just watching and interacting with the local population. In our limited experience, the Balinese didn't seem as effusive as the Indians or Sri Lankans, who would cross the street with a big smile just to say hello, pose for a picture, and pinch Talia's cheek. But when you do connect with a Balinese person, the connection is strong and meaningful. We befriended Putu, a quiet young man who worked at our hotel in Munduk, and when it was time for us to leave, he spent the entire day with us traveling to our next destination, on his only day off for the week, at no extra charge, with no ulterior motive. When Eden suggested that he might want to do something more fun on his day off, he responded that he would prefer to spend some more time with us, his new friends. Definitely a first in our months of traveling the globe...

So, here are some scenes of Balinese art, culture and everyday life. Stay tuned for our next, and last, post from Indonesia.