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BALINESE DANCE STYLE

the Period Of,,Primitive Society (up to 400 A.D.) dances in Bali were tile same as those in other regions of Indonesia. In this period Balinese dances must have been magic and sacred in nature and they must have been democratic also.

In the Period of Feudal Society (400 A.D. - 1945) the development of dancing was different from that in the other regions of Indonesia, At the beginning of the Period of Feudal Society, when Hindu cultural c1cments entered native Indonesian culture, the native cultural elements in Bali were still very strong. Mutual assistance and democracy had been preserved especially in their cutural life, including dancing.

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It is true that in Bali, during the Period of Feudal Society, the palaces of the kings were the centres of cultural development but cultural activities, especially dancing, also took place outside the palace walls, because both the palace and the common people needed the dances as a part of their religious ceremonies. The dances developing in the palaces were more advanced and refined, but on the whole there was not a striking difference between dances developing in the palaces and those developing among the common people.
In the Period of Feudal Society there were also dances performed purely for entertainmet,
Since independence Balinese dancing has also undergone a Process of modernization similar to the development in other regions of Indonesia.
In Bali dance-performances are usually held in the pura (temple) courtyards, but groups may be found performing anywhere.

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF BALINESE DANCING

Balinese dancing can be divided into two styles, the North Bali style and the South Bali style. To the Balinese himself, the distinction is striking, the North Bali style being more forceful and the South -Bali style more refined. In North Bali style, for instance, the female dancers lift their legs rather high. The Kebyar Dance is danced by woman in North Bali, whereas in South Bali is danced by man.
The difference. between the two styles is not fundamental, however, and the two styles influence one another. Now all Balinese dances, whether from North Bali or South Bali, are referred to by one term Balinese dancing or Balinese style.

The distinctive characteristics of Balinese dancing are as follows.
First, Balinese dancing is very expressive, the means used to convey expression being mimicry and eye-movements. The eye-brows are lifted and the eyes glance and roll sideways and down, and in all directions. Sometimes the eye-movements are slow, sometimes quick and-at times extremely quick. The movements are referred to in Bali by the term nyledet.
In the whole pf Indonesia, such energetic eye-movements are found only in Balinese dancing. In Indian dancing eye-movements are also important considered, but not to the extent as in Balinese dancing.

I These eye-movements are indeed the distinctive feature of Balinese dancing, and according to I Gusti Bagus Nyoman Panji, without them Balinese dancing would lose its expression.

Second, most Balinese dances are dynamic in nature' in harmony with the accompanying music of the Balinese gamelan which is also full of force and power. Each movement in Balinese dancing, such as movements of the eyes, the head, the hand, the shoulder, the legs are in keeping with the rhythm of the beating of the gamelan. The rhythm of each instrument often varies, now slow then, fairly quick,