BY A.M.BHATTI

BALI, INDONESIA, OCT 28 (DNA) – A mesmerizing performance of the most unique Balinese dance Kecak simply left the audience spell-bound including the President of Panama who witnessed the performance keenly and applauded the excellent skills of the dancers.

Kecak dance is unique in the sense that it is not accompanied by any orchestra or gamelan but by a choir of seventy men. It has its origin in an old ritual dance called Sanghyang dance.

A large number of visitors mostly foreigners including from Pakistan witnessed the marvelous performance. The media delegation from Pakistan comprising senior journalists from various media houses is on Indonesia familiarization tour these days.

The Indonesian embassy in Islamabad has arranged the tour with a view to providing the Pakistani journalist with a chance of getting first hand information about the Indonesian culture, cuisines, wild life and lifestyle.

The Kecak and Fire dance provided a real fest to the visitors as most of them witnessed the performance for the first time. Using the dancers as a medium, the deities or ancestors convey their wishes in the 1930’s old Indian epic Ramayana was included into the dance.

According the story due a wise prince of Ayodya Rama the legal heir to the throne of Ayodya was exiled from the realm of his father Dasarat. Accompanied by his wife Sita and his younger brother Laksamana they went into a forest called Dandaka. While they were in the forest the demon king Rahwana found them and lusted after the beautiful Sita.

Accompanied by his Prime Minister Marica, they made a trick to steal Sita. Using his magic power Marica transformed himself into golden deer. Distinguished as a golden deer they succeeded in luring Rama and Laksamana away from Sita. Rahwanana making use of this opportunity kidnapped Sita and took her to his palace Alengka.

Discovering the deception Rama and Laksmana set out to rescue Sita from King. Rama succeeded in getting his wife back safely.

The Kecak and Fire dance is a regular feature of Balinese culture and visitors coming to Bali cannot afford to miss this performance.

The tourism and culture department of Bali under the supervision of the Mayor of Bali, has made elaborated arrangements for better facilitation of the visitors. Due to these arrangements, tens of thousands of visitors from across the globe visit Bali.=DNA

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