Barong and Rangda – An Ageless Battle Between Good and Evil: Dance and Gamelan in Bali, Indonesia

July 07, 2024

Barong and Rangda – An Ageless Battle Between Good and Evil: Dance and Gamelan in Bali, Indonesia

I have vague recollections of going on a school trip (sadly not to Indonesia; I believe it was in London) and being shown and even invited to try and play gamelan music. Gamelan is a collective term used to describe Javanese or Balinese orchestral music, and a gamelan is an orchestra playing such music. Got that? A gamelan is comprised of various metal instruments such as gongs and xylophones either suspended vertically or lying flat, which are played by striking them with mallets. I have no idea if what I played was Javanese or Balinese in origin, although I do recall not being very proficient at remembering the note order, and therefore playing quite badly. Ah, well.

Gamelans are often used to accompany theatrical performances, including dance shows. When I visited Bali, I watched the Barong Lion Dance (probably the most popular, certainly for tourists), which symbolically depicts the age-old battle between good and evil. Personifying these opposing forces is, on the one hand, Barong, a protector spirit in the form of a lion, and on the other, Rangda, a demon queen or witch. A rough guide to the story is as follows: the Barong appears, teased by a couple of monkeys. Then, warriors enter, wielding kris daggers (important ceremonial weapons in Bali). As they dance, they go into a trancelike state. Rangda tries to attack the dancers and make them commit suicide with their daggers, but the Barong and a priest protect the warriors with holy water and sacred items, making them immune to their own blades. The dance ends with Rangda fleeing, defeated, as the Barong claims victory and celestial equilibrium is restored. The dance goes back to at least the 10^th century AD, and although some scholars have tried to make links between it and the Chinese Lion Dance, there is no conclusive evidence of connection between the two. Both gamelan and Balinese dance are now recognised by UNESCO as examples of intangible cultural heritage.

above: Barong (nice).

above: Rangda (nasty; boo-hiss!).

above: A monkey teases the Barong.

above: The warriors stab themselves with their kris daggers as the Barong looks on.

above: A dancer at the show I saw.

above: Gamelan orchestra accompanying the dance performance.

Unfortunately, I did not video the dance I saw, but I did take copious quantities of photographs, some of which I share here. I have included the video below to give a flavour of the music and movement.