The Astounding Kecak Fire Dance in Bali – Dancing in Flames!
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The Balinese Traditional Dances are a not to miss tourist attraction on the island. The most famous spots to see the traditional dances in Bali are Ubud, which is the island’s Cultural Capital, and Uluwatu, where there’s a huge amphitheater devoted to Balis’ famous Kecak Fire Dance that welcomes thousands of visitors every night.
✔️ Main Info
- Tourists are welcome to watch the Balih-balihan, or non-sacred dances
- Legong, Barong, and Kecak Fire Dances are the most popular with tourists
- Dance tickets range from 100K IDR ($7) – 150K ($10)
- Ubud: Dances are at the Ubud Water Palace & Pura Dalem > 🎟️ Tickets
- Uluwatu: Kecak Fire Dances are at Uluwatu Temple Amphitheater > 🎟️ Tickets
All About Traditional Balinese Dances
Balinese dances are divided into three main categories, which then branch out to many different complex subcategories and types of performance.
Main Categories of Balinese Dance:
- Wali, Sacred Dances
- Bebali, Semi-Sacred
- Balih-balihan, Entertainment Dances
As tourists, you’ll only be privy to the 2nd and 3rd category, but even though these dances are designated for the public’s enjoyment they still mostly take place at temples, although not all of the Balih-balihan (entertainment dances) do.
Sub-Categories of Balinese Dance:
- Baris: war dance
- Barong: the king of the spirits dance
- Cendrawasih: The Bird of Paradise dance
- Condong, preface to Legong dance
- Legong, dance using facial expressions & complicated small movements
- Kecak: Ramayana monkey dance (also called the Fire Dance)
- Janger, a sitting dance with swaying movements
- Pendet, a simple dance performed before making an offering at a temple
- Topeng, a mask dance
- & more!
After these categories, there are also certain performances (think, like how The Nutcracker is a type of ballet) of Indonesian Hindu epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana. Balinese dances are accompanied by the music of the Gamelan or Indonesian orchestra.
As you can see, there are a ton of different Balinese dances. This post will focus on the three of the most popular types to see in Ubud: the Legong and Barong Dances, and the Kecak Fire Dance.
Different Types of Dance Shows
Legong Dance
Legon originated in the 19th century, and there’s a legend that the prince of Sukawati was sick and had a fever dream in which two maidens danced to gamelan music. Once he got better, he created the dances we today call Legong based on his dream. Legong is characterized by movements of the feet, hands, and exaggerated facial expressions.
Barong Dance
The Barong dance is about the ancient struggle between good and evil; Barong is the king of the spirits, and his enemy is Rangda, the demon queen (spoiler alert, Barong always wins).
🔥 Kekak Fire Dance
The Kekak Fire Dance is a Balih-balihan, or entertainment dance, put on exclusively for tourists. The fire dance involves a performer running over and into a pile of burning coconuts. Loosely depicting the Ramayana, the Kekak Fire Dance is by far the most popular show in Bali. Before it was a fire dance put on for tourists, the Kekak was a trance ritual. You can see the remnants of this today, as the shows start with many men chanting around a burning pyre.
About the Famous Kecak Fire Dance
The Kecak Fire dance is my favorite Balinese Traditional Dance – which makes sense because it was designed purely to be entertaining. Developed in the 1930s, the Kecak dances are usually performed by men and are based on the epic Ramayana. You can tell that these performances are for tourists, when I went there they were cracking jokes during the dance about Ubud taxi drivers in English – Even though it was for tourists, the Kecak dance is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen!
The show starts out with a dark room of maybe 100 men chanting in unison around a fire, this is called the Ramayana Monkey Chant, and then people in costume come out to act out parts of the Ramayana. Finally, a pile of coconuts is doused in a fire starter and a barefoot man runs through it over and over again.
This show was crazy, and definitely shouldn’t be missed if you’re planning a trip to Bali.
Where to Watch the Kecak Dance in Bali
The most famous place to see the Kecak Dances is the large open-air theater in Uluwatu. Shows run every day at sunset and people come from all over the island to watch.
What is Special About the Kecak Fire Dance?
The Kecak Dance is unique in respect to all the other Balinese dances because of the showmanship. While other traditional dances rely on subtle movements, like facial expressions and hand movements, the Kecak dance is more spectacular and involves performers dancing through live flames.
