THE PERIODS OF INDONESIAN DANCING
As
culture is in fact the product of all human activities be it physical,
spiritual or abstract, we call say that the two social classes were
cultured. Since however the class of the feudal aristocracy was
strong and rich it is not surprising that its cultural growth was
more rapid and more advanced than that of the common people. Consequently,
the growth and development of Indonesian dancing during tile period
of feudal society had a dual nature. The growth of dancing of tile
aristocracy was favorable and of high quality while that of the
common people was just opposite.
Indonesian
classical dances which have maintained their high aesthetic value
are those Of the Surakarta style, Yogyakarta style, Sunda style
and Bali style.
Among
these styles, the Bali styles has made a most unusual development
by comparison with the other. This is because the essence of Balinese
dancing has been Supported by a society the structure of which is
rather different from that of the other societies, It is true that
Bali also has periods of primitive society, feudal society and modern
society, but the social structure on this island bas always been
wholly permeated by the religious aspect of life. And religious
life is not exclusive in Balinese society; generally speaking, all
the members of society in Bali irrespective of class, embrace the
Hindu-Bali or Hindu Dharma religion.
The
Hindu-Dharma religion is much dependent upon dances much as a ceremonial
medium in its religious ceremonies and there are even dances which
have the sole function of being offerings to God. Consequently,
dancing in Bali has been able to develop most favourably, especially
after Indonesia became independent.
Consistent
with the essence of dancing in Bali and its intimate relationship
with religious life, the development of dancing in Bali displays
a dual nature today. On the one hand, it serves the interests of
the religious life and on the other hand, it has the profane function
of a product of art the beauty of which can be enjoyed apart from
its religious elements. Today dances that used to be exclusively
offerings to God, such as the Pendet Dance for example, can be shown
as an ordinary performance, for instance on such occasions as welcoming
guests of honour who visit Bali.
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