“She didn’t fear the flames. She became the fire.” – unknown
On Sunday a few of us from yoga class hired Eddie (driver/coconut man/spiritual gangster – everyone needs an Eddie) to take us to Uluwatu to see the traditional Balinese Kecak Fire Dance. It was a wonderful experience so I wanted to share some photos and a video. I don’t post updates of every experience but this one was too beautiful not to share. This post will be short because the visuals tell a better story than I ever could.
The trip to Uluwatu from Ubud is about 2-3 hours depending on traffic. The grounds of the facility are beautiful. Everyone is required to wear a sarong (included with your entry fee) if you are not wearing long pants or a skirt. There is a gorgeous cliff walk and a Hindu Temple on the hilltop with stunning views of the ocean. The open-air arena where the Kecak Dance takes place holds about 500 people. They have two, 45-minute shows every night. One at 6 pm (which includes a beautiful sunset view – weather permitting – but the show happens no matter what it’s like outside) and one at 8 pm. We chose the earlier time and saw a lovely sunset along with a fantastic show.
I’m quoting from the program they gave us about the show. “The dance is unique because it is not accompanied by any musical instruments instead it is performed by a choir of 70 men.” They were fantastic. They chanted and danced – I was exhausted from just watching them. The costumes were gorgeous – just take a look! The dance is based on the story of the Ramayana and is traditionally performed in temples and villages across Bali. You can read more about it, here. And yes, he was barefoot while kicking those fireballs around. Yikes!
Hope you enjoy!
Goodnight and much love from Bali! 🇮🇩
