We sometimes forget that Dance is an old and treasured form of storytelling that dates back before the written word. It had been a means of sharing myths and legends in many cultures to the extent that these dances have become inshrined in tradition. This is something that I was reminded of travelling to Bali, watching a barong dance with an English explanation. A little preknowledge was important for a foreigner and was more sufficient to make sense of the overall storyline and characters.

Barong dance

Belived to originate in the 11th century, the dance is a representation of a battle between the good spirit Barong represented by a lion and the evil Rangda. Normally, the dance opens with some comic relief in the form of a pair of monkeys playing with Barong and a group of hunters, this playful comic element is a recuring break from the more serious story line. That follows Rangda bewitching a group of male soldiers and forcing them to commit suicide. However, Barong cast a spell of invulnerability to protect the soldiers before chasing Rangda away and restoring the balance of good and evil.

It is an entertaining spectacular that is a clear departure from Western traditions. Even so, it definitely captures my son’s attention, and despite the limited understanding, it was clear he could follow enough to recognise Rangda as an evil force. In this way, dance demonstrates an ability to overcome cultural and linguistic differences. His ability to concentrate for almost an hour and enjoy the experience shows the power of older methods of dance to still connect with a modern audience.

In Modern Western traditions

Im modern Western culture, dance continues to be a means of storytelling and expression. Often, this takes the form of an interpretation of a piece of music as a means of adding meaning to lyrics or the representation of a specific story on stage through something like ballet. Possibly, what is lacking a little these days is the formation of dance as the primary method of communicating a story, but like everything in human society, we evolve and change. Now, with modern films, social media, and the accessibility of the written word, there is less need for dance to fill this space. Regardless, it still holds a strong and recognisable ability to enrich stories and bring them to life for different audiences, which is well worth preserving.