Why
is enthusiasm for work so strong
that it enriches every aspect
of Balinese life ?Well, it has
to do with the strong belief felt
by the people here, a belief which
for hundreds of years now has
given life in Bali its almost
magical quality. The Balinese
believe that the God and His manifestations
have the same aptitude for dance
and music as do mortals, and so
during temple ceremonies, especially
in the remoter villages, spirits,
god and deified ancestors enter
the bodies of worshippers who
become momentarily possessed by
these spirits (trance). These
spirits then proceed to dance
and sometimes to sing with an
unearthly voice through the medium
of the person who they have possessed.
And to liven the proceedings,
the spirits ask that onlookers
especially young girls and young
men join in with the dancing.
Whenever we see the Sang Hyang
Dedari or Sang Hyang Jaran, the
spirits dance through the bodies
of their hosts who are in trance.
The spirits descended in the first
place because they were invited
to do so by the chorus chanting
kidung poetry, and often the spirits
will request certain verse to
see them off back to their resting
places.
This
spirit or manifestations of god
believed to be most adept at filling
the arts with life is Siwa. In
Hindu texts Siwa is said to reside
in the Pura Dalem one of the three
temples in each village. Siwa
has many contemporaries in the
otherworld, who are also fond
of the arts, including Durga and
other spirits (know under many
names according to
where oenis in Bali !). Religious
teaching in Bali tell us that
the Pura dalem is center for Taksu
(a kind of divine intervention),
especially when related to the
arts, and this means that musicians
and dancers who seek assistance
in this way so as to make their
performance all the more attractive
and vigorous, will ask for it
in the Pura dalem.
Hinduism
also give Siwa the name Siwa Natharaja
- he who is believed to be the
source of Taksu in the arts, and
that's why the image of siwa Natharaja
is used as symbol for the Bali
Arts Festival. Siwa Natharaja
is thought to possess no less
than 108 forms and types of movements
of cosmic dance steps, including
the final movement of his dance
illustrating his anger and fusion
of the world : gentleness, wildness
and the height of madness. This
theme is discussed in detail by
Prof. al Basham in his book The
Wonder that was India. Meanwhile
Ananda K, Coomaraswamy, in Myths
of the Hindus and Buddhists
mentions 5 dance movements in
particularly which are become
known as the Panchakritya, portraying
Srishti-creation, evolution: Sthiti-preservation
and support: Samhara - destruction:
Tiro Bhawa - illusion, Living
rest; and Anugraha - release,
salvation, grace.
In
Balinese Hinduism, the spirits
residing in the Pura Dalem are
manifested in a number of realizations
as either Rangda, or a number
of different kinds of Barongs
(Barong Ket, Barong Landung, Barong
Macan,Barong Bangkal) Whether
it's a Barong himself, or Rangda
herself, each is given an appellate
for example Ratu Ngurah, Ratu
Mas, Ratu Ayu, Ratu Gedem Ratu
Alit and So on. And in every temple
ceremony, be it inside the Pura
Dalem, or even in other temples,
Barong and rangda often take center
stage and serve to fill the ceremony
with life and meaning. The show
will not only feature dancing
but will also include the telling
of folk stories and legends, or
dramatizations of historical events,
And for the telling of folk stories,
the cast is expanded and sufficient
characters are added so that respective
tales can be narrated fully and
accurately.
 This
is how art forms have evolved,
which depend for their effect
on assistance from the beyond
the spirits who are praised routinely
during day to day life in Bali.
the names of these form are taken
from the stories which they retell.
For example , the dance dramas
Calonarang, Cupak, and many more.
In the Calonarang tale, Ratu Ayu
appering in the form of Rangda,
plays a widow witch called Calonarang
or Walu Nateng Dirah. However,
if the version of the tale being
told takes the theme of the folk
story Cupak Gerantang Ratu Ayu
then plays the role of the monster
Benaru or some member of his family.
And so on with other stories Ratu-Ayu
might play the part of other characters
according to the performance the,
Ratu Ayu or Ratu Mas can play
any number of characters, according
to the plot in hand. Ratu Ayu
may, in performance, play characters
who symbolize either war like
or savage nature which should
be avoided by mortal humans. And
once again the tale deals with
the gods and demons which are
the object of work of the people
of Bali. Ratu Mas and Ratu Ayuin
the form of Rangda, are work shipped
and respected as Gods themselves.
With
the example of dance drama discussed
above, the interesting thing to
note of the way the Balinese dance,
not only in order to show off
their physical agility in dancing,
but their ability as as obligation
to accompany their respected deities
to dance and thus to bring out
the best in the dance.
That's
why for a Balinense dancer, the
act of dancing is always carried
out with a feeling of ngayah or
devotion and of praise, rather
than as a way to satisfy material
needs. They strive to dance with
and are thrilled when given a
chance to share the stage with
the spirit life which occasionally
inhabits them, because through
dancing they are already exhibiting
their devotion to God.
Why
Exactly then is taksu ? Well,
it's an extremely difficult concept
to define concisely, and is easier
to express with the use of examples
the most popular of which is tale
of the dancer who, early in his
career, was unable to attract
an audience and to obtain recognition
for his art. He was described
as immature, but after several
years he became popular and much
loved by hiss peers. People said
he had finally mataksu-taksu had
entered him. Other dancers, although
the might have practiced and studied
for years, perhaps had not yet
enjoyed this transformation, and
although they were highly skilled
as dancers, they still failed
to keep an audience interested.
Our fist dancer, meanwhile though
not as skilled technically, could
already thrill an audience with
his charisma.
The
moral of the story? Taksu comes
from two sources. From within
the individual, and also from
God in heaven. An artist can indeed
improve himself through study
and practice, and natural talent
is certainly an important requirement
for success. However, he should
also pay attention to the other
factor in his art if he wants
that special something else. And
where is this extra something
to be found ? Most agree that
prayers should be made at certain
auspicious temples and shrines
famous in the art world, while
at the same time saying
special prayers and mantras called
Pangeger prior to entering the
stage. The nearest translation
we can hope for is probably charisma,
but once again. Taksu remains
a difficult word to define.
Source
material: Cultural Affairs Office
Bali Province |
