What is a Kecak Fire Dance and what to expect from it?
Together with Tari Barong and Tari Legong, Tari Kecak (or Kecak Dance) are known as Bali’s top three iconic dances. It is also recognized as the fire dance, as it frequently uses fire as its dancing property.
A unique aspect of this dance is that it does not use any musical instruments, but is instead accompanied by the “keh-chack” – chants made by the male dancers, this represents the sound of the monkey clans. Performers normally consist of up to 50 or more male dancers, including the 10 to 15 main dancers. They use checkered sarongs, forming a circle with a space set aside for their main characters.
Things you should know
Did you know that the kecak dance originated from a Balinese ancient ritual? The ritual, named sanghyang, is a type of exorcism usually done inside temple grounds, that can go on for hours or even months. That’s quite a ritual isn’t it? In short, the dance retells the narrative of Ramayana, a story of a woman kidnapped by a demon, followed by several challenges faced by the husband and brother to rescue her.
Where you can find Kecak Fire Dance shows
1 Uluwatu Temple – Drive 25km south of Kuta and you will arrive at Pecatu Village. Performances
normally take place at 6 p.m.
2 Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park – About 20 minutes away from Kuta, you can watch daily
performances here starting at 6.30 p.m.
3 Tanah Lot Temple – Take a 30 minute drive from Kuta and you can watch performances that normally
start at 7 p.m. at Surya Mandala Cultural Park.
4 Padang Tegal Stage – This stage is on Jalan Hanoman in Ubud. Performances are held every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday from 19:00.
5 Pura Dalem Ubud Temple – Go to the main Jalan Raya Ubud and you can see performance every Monday and Friday, starting from 19:30.
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