Art and Craft

Kites have become a part of the Balinse people's traditional way of ife. It as a hobby and also a sports activity which involves many people regardless of age, status, or gender. More than that, it has religious significance dedicated to the God “ Rare Angon”, who must be appeased as the crops protector against disease and pestilence. The Festival has been an annual event since first one was held in 1979, which included participants from international kite flying clubs. During the festival, thousands of kites flood the arena to fly their colorful kites of varying types and sizes, thus coloring the clean blue sky. While back on the ground, the loud and cheerful sound of gamelan orchestra enhances the festival.

Bali Art Festival

Under the initiative of the Governor of Bali, since 1978 the annual Bali Art Festival takes place from the middle of June – July lasting one month. The main aim of the Festival is for preserving the art and culture of Bali. Expect to see a vast array of Balinese dance and music performance throughout the month long event. The festival takes place in the huge “Art Centre” (Werdhi Budaya) located in the heart of Denpasar and kick off every year with a grand parade.

Balinese Jewellery

Celuk is the home of Balinese jewellery for Gold and Silver. Nearly every family in Celuk is involved in some aspects of the delicate gold and silver work, which has become very famous over the years.

Celuk is a village name in Ubud region.

Wood Carving

Mas Village is part of Ubud region that specializing in wood carving of any kind. Most of the prominent woodcarvers of Bali dwell in Mas Village, producing elaborate and fine wood carvings and this is where they teach the young generation to carve by imitating the master carvers.

Stone statues

Just outside of Denpasar, on the road to Ubud, is a small village where stone statues line the roadside in an impressive array. Terrible fanged demons, noble warriors, and animals of all shapes and sizes and at all stages of completion rest under the shady trees.

Painting

Ubud is famous for its painter's community, Ubud is special in more ways than one. It has its own magic, and its particularly beautiful surroundings and gracious way of life have drawn celebrities and artists from all over the world in recent decades; some have even adopted Ubud as their own home.

There are famous museums of painting in Ubud such as Neka Museum, Puri Lukisan/Gallery, Musem Juan Antonio Blanco.

Music and Dance

In Bali, no temple festival or ceremony is complete without entertainment for the gods, attending guests and the local people. Temple anniversaries are occasions for all night drama and dance performance, with different types of entertainment each consecutive night, sometimes lasting until morning.

The basis accompaniment to any such performance is provided by the local gamelan orchestra, a group of brass instruments, metallphones, tuned gongs, cymbals, and hand drums. The instruments are generally owned by the village, as they are extremely expensive and they are stored at the village banjar (meeting hall) and looked after with great pride. No Balinese music has been written down or recorded until recently. Instead, it has been passed down from generation to generation purely by memory.

Wayang Kulit

The wayang show normally consist of small 4-pieces orchestra, which provides the musical accompaniment, around 60 puppets carved out of flat pieces of water buffalo hide and the Dalang, or puppet master. The Dalang has to be both incredibly skilled, as well as knowledgeable. He not manipulates all the puppets, but has to be provide a different voice for each one. Traditional drama cover a wide varienty of theme. The most popular are stories taken from the Hindu epic, the Mahabarata.

Kecak

Coming from the male chorus chant, which produces the trance of the Sanghyang ceremony, a new dance has developed; The Kecak. Usually over 100 men participate. Providing their own orchestration with a counter pattern of vocal sounds that complement their rhythmical movement, they create a living circular stage for reenactment of an excerpt from the Ramayana story performed by flickering torchlight.

Sanghyang

The Sanghyang is a divine force that enters the body of the entranced dancer. The Sanghyang song beseeches the spirit to descend from the heavens. In the Sanghyang Dedari (the dance of the angels), tiny girls who have never danced before are able to give accomplished performances of the Legong, whilst in Sanghyang Jaran (the horse dance), the men prance, snort and canter unflinchingly over red hot coals.

Barong and Rangda

The endless metaphysical battle between good and evil is symbolically re-enacted time and time again by two weird characters, Barong and Rangda, who by their very performance, reinforce the magic power of the village and restore the balance between good and evil.

Topeng “Mask”

The topeng or mask dance, is one of the most demanding dramatic talent, requiring and actors skill and adaptability of mannerism and behavior, in order to suite each picturesque mask. Combined from ancient literature and local history, bended with a contemporary interpretation, that is personal teach actor. The characters are caricatures of all that is human; both virtue and folly, and slapstick comedy are the keys to this drama.

Arja and Drama Gong

A performance of Arja Balinese folk opera can hold and entire village engrossed from late evening until nearly sunrise. Love stories drawn from the classics of the ancients kingdoms of Java are re-enacted of all the tragicomedy and romantic ingredients guaranteed to appeal to audiences. The royal characters move in a slow stylized dance and sing and talk in a high falsetto using high Balinese which is translated into common language by the comedians. Arja has lost some its popularity in recent year in favour of the Drama Gong, which has less music and dance and therefore is much easier understood by the masses, by the comedians.

Legong Keraton

Perhaps the most exquisite of Balinese dances is the classical Legong, a dance traditionally performed as entertainment for the Kind. Young girls wrapped from head to ankle in hand painted gold mirrored headdresses topped with trembling frangiany flowers, glide and sway in pantomime of delicate movements, which portray th ancients story of King lasem and his unsuccessful love suit. The dancers seem to be the essence of all that is feminine and beautiful.

Baris

A dance of war, the Baris is strongly masculine, and yet also display a strong sensitivity in the many moods and expression displayed within the one dance. The Baris Gede, the sacred dance performed usually during ceremonies, consist of ten or more elegantly dressed warriors with distinctive triangular white headdresses bearing weapons; either spears, spiked shield, or swords. The warriors dance in a line, posing aggressively, before attacking each other in simulated battles