The Baris Dance
Author(s): I Made Bandem
Source: Ethnomusicology, Vol. 19, No. 2 (May, 1975), pp. 259-265
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of Society for Ethnomusicology
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THE BARIS DANCE
I Made Bandem
ne of the most important ritual dances in Bali is the baris (pron.:
bahr-ias). "Baris" derives its name from the word bebarisan, which
literally means a line or file formation. It refers to the ancient Balinese
soldiers who were used by radja-radja,the Balinese kings, to protect their
kingdom in times of disturbance.Aside from its ritualisticfunction, the baris
is also known as a patriotic or warrior drill dance. Usually the dance is
performed by men, in a group of four to sixty dancers. The ritualistic
function of the baris dance is to show physical maturity. The maturity is
proven by demonstrating skills in military practice, particularly the use of
weapons;hence the patriotic aspect also given to the dance.
The Kidung Sunda, a semi-historical poem found in East Java dated
1550, mentions seven kinds of bebarisan(martial dances) performed duringa
period of funeral celebration lasting some five weeks and held by Hayam
Wuruk,the greatest king of the Madjapahitkingdom (Holt, 1967:288).
Today traces of these martial dances are preserved in Bali. There are
over twenty types of baris dances found in mountain villages, each quite
unique to each village. The baris dances are performed for the temple
ceremonies such as Galunganand Kuningan.1There are three main temples in
villages where the baris is performed: pura desa, the temple for the official
village ceremonies;pura gumi, the oldest temple which shows the origin of the
village; and pura dalem, the death temple. The biggest event of ritual baris is
usually held in pura Besakih and pura Batur, the two largest temples located
in northeast Bali, where the temples belong to the eight radja-radja.The
performance of baris takes place every year on the fixed time of the full
moon.
The baris dance is unique in its characterization,stressing the firmness
and steadiness of foot steps and skill in handling military weapons. Its
costumes are also unique. The dancer wearsgelungan, a headdressshaped like
a cone but full of adornments-a bunch of golden decorated scarves called
awiran or lelamakan, hanging around his body to cover his underclothes. His
shirt varies in color: black, red and white are preferred. The shoulder is
covered by bapang, an elaborate neck band studded with colored stones. A
setagen, a long tie that is wrapped aroundhis chest holds the keris, the dagger
on his back. This keris becomes his weapon, especially in the baris
melampahanor dramaticbaris that will be describedbelow.
259
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260 MAY 1975
ETHNOMUSICOLOGY,
The baris dance is usually accompanied by the traditional Balinese
musical orchestra, known as Gamelan Gong, which consists of about thirty to
fifty musicians and is maintained primarily for temple festivals and accom-
panies also other ceremonial dances. Instruments commonly used include
metallophones, gongs, flute, rebab (the Indonesian two-stringed-bowedlute)
and drumsin what is essentially a percussionorchestra.
There are many kinds of baris dances in Bali which are usually named
accordingto the weapon used in the dance:
BARISTUMBAK
The baris tumbak uses a weapon called a tumbak (long spear tipped
with a peacock feather). The dance is performed in double lines of twelve to
twenty dancers, grimacingand striking heroic poses. When the music becomes
violent, the dancers enact a sham battle with their tumbak. This baris is
accompaniedby the gamelan Gong.
BARISPRESI
The dancersof barispresi carry a presi or knobbed shield of painted and
gilded leather with a fluted edge, held at the back by a wooden handle. The
baris presi is performed by eight men in close file in small circles and
accompaniedby the GamelanGong. This baris is more typically from southern
Bali with its swift turns, long stances on one leg, dips, long pauses, swift eye
movements(seledet), and familiarripplingbaris cries.
BARISDJODJOR
This dance uses a djodjor, a type of lance, and is usually performedby
eight dancers with more dance movement than the baris tumbak. The
accompanimentfor this baris is the GamelanTembangKirang, four slendro
tones of the Balinese orchestra.
BARISDADAP
The weapon of this baris is a dadap, a curious wedge-shapedpointed
shield that is curled over, like a sleigh, and held by a circularhandle close to
the hilt. This dance is performed in pairs, starting with four to sixteen
dancers.The accompanimentis also the GamelanTembangKirang.
BARISPANAH
Panah is the Balinese bow and arrow.This weapon is used for this baris
and the dance is performed by some tarunas, young men from northernBali.
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BANDEM: BARIS DANCE 261
Its costumes are simpler than other baris. The accompanimentis the Gamelan
TembangKirang.
BARISOMANG
The dancers of the baris omang carry a weapon called omang, a type of
shield. It is performed by eight dancers who form two rows and first kneel,
then rise and stand facing inward towards each other. They slowly shift their
shield and preparefor the fight.
BARISPENDET
The baris pendet stresses offering, although the element of battle is
always present. There are many varieties of this dance and in performingit
the dancersactually pray to God. This dance is generallyperformedby several
boys who carry offerings of flowers on silver bowls. It has a more elaborate
choreography than any other ceremonial baris. The end of the dance is
signified by sprinklingthe flowers on the images of the three supremeGods,
Brahma,Visnu, and Civa as gesturesof greetings.It takes place usually late at
night and is accompaniedby the GamelanGong.
BARISTAMIANG
This baris is another version of the baris presi, where the dancerscarry
with them a tamiang, or shield. It is also performed in pairs and the
accompanimentis the GamelanGong.
BARISMELAMPAHAN
The baris melampahan (dramatic baris) is the most impressive and
brilliant baris dance. This is a form of Balinese dance drama whose story
comes from the two great Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabhrataand is
narratedin dialogue form. The dialogue is in kawi, the old Javaneselanguage
which is no longer understood by the audience. In such a play the penasar,
the clowns, act as interpretersof the stories. When this baris is performedby
a single dancer, the soloist personifies one of the heroes in Ramayana,
Mahabhrata,or other stories, most commonly Ardjuna Wiwaha.2
The baris melampahanis performed in three movements: gilak, bapang
and gilak, each named after the corresponding section of the musical
accompaniment (ABA form). Gilak derives from the word galak denoting
keras or "strong" expression. Bapang is known as the manis part or the
"refined" expression of the baris melampahan. As a whole, this baris is
considered typical of a strong male character(Bandem 1969). The costumes
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262 ETHNOMUSICOLOGY, MAY 1975
are more elaborate than those of the ritual dances. Its earliersacred character
has been lost.
The characteristicsof the baris melampahan,which is very expressivein
nature, are revealedby the dance terminology:
1. mungkahlawang-literally means "curtain opening." This is the beginning
of the dance.
2. agem-the basic standing position. There are many types of agem accord-
ing to the types of characters;strong or refined. The position of the legs
is usually open and lowered to a demi-plie position, there is also straight
agem in the baris called agem tatindjikan.The agem is also determinedby
which side the weight is placed, such as agem kanan, right position, with
the weight placed on the right foot. The position is similarto the Western
second open position. In the agem, the elbows are usually held on a plane
with the shouldersand higher than the upper arms.The fingers are placed
high and trembling,which is known in Bali as gegirahan.
3. seledet-flicking eye movements. The eyes dart high to the right or left
side. Glances can move from the east to the other directions. This is
called dedeling. Because the expressive characterof the baris is conveyed
through facial expression, the seledet is very important. In doing it the
dancer lifts his eyebrows and opens his eyes wide. The seledet in Balinese
dance is a very distinctive and impressivefeature of the baris dance.
4. pedjalan-the walking section. The many types of walking are determined
by the number of steps taken in one phraseor gongan. Gandanggandang
is a slow type of walking in which the steps occur at the end of the
phrase (beat eight). Along with the steps there are also inward and
outward arm movements called tayungan. Another type of walking is
known as tetayogan, a swinging step freer than the gandanggandang.
The right heel swings in towards the left knee twice then returnsto touch
the ground after each swing with the ball of the foot. The last type,
pemalpal, is fast walking with the feet raisedhigh and put down in tapak
sirang(second open position) on every beat.
5. angsel-a sudden burst of movement used to accelerateand determinethe
dynamics of the music. It is also used to change position from left to
right (or vice versa) and to determinethe section of the dance. Two types
of angsel are used in the baris;angsel bawak, and angsel lantang, the short
and long angsel, respectively. These are differentiated in the use of the
count phrase, whether short or long. Different signallingis employed to
change the dynamics of the music. The word ngeradjasinga, an imitation
of a lion movement in shakinghis neck usually refers to angsel lantang.
6. gelatik nuut papah-a movement imitating a paddybird.It is used when
the baris picks up an umbrella on both sides of the stage. The baris
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BANDEM:BARIS DANCE 263
dancer dances to and fro, around the umbrella,and finally picks it up and
throws it to the previousposition.
7. nawa-sari-refers to a pose with the foot raised and the toes curled
upwards.The right leg is raised and bent and the left leg stays in position.
The right hand touches the right knee while the left hand touches the
headdress.
8. seregseg-soles moving, very quickly, consisting of tiny quick steps with
the heel raised and the weight resting on the ball of the feet. This
movement is used in the bapang section (second section of ABA). This
movement is usually followed by a full turn.
9. ulap-ulap-a looking section mainly done through face and arm move-
ments while the body leans backwards. It is used before the fighting
section when the dancersseek each other to preparefor the fight.
10. gandang arep-a slow forward walk. Left and right feet alternatewalking
forwards.
11. gandanguri-a slow backwardwalk. Reverse of number ten.
12. dadengkleng-foot raised with toes curled upwards.The right leg is raised
and bent; the left leg stays in position. This position can be done from
either side. This movement is used as a signal for the ending.
13. ngeteg-a stamping. One foot is raised and then stamps down hard. This
stamp can be done to either side.
For a baris dancer, the above movements are very important to know
before he can freely choreographhis dance. An interesting aspect to note in
the performanceof the baris melampahanis the close relationshipbetween the
music and the dance. Its melody is linked to the dance and each specific
movement is accompanied by an exact rhythm which helps the Balinese
audience to identify the characteritself.
In the following illustration of the baris melampahanonly the gilak is
presented. The bapangand the gilak follow generallythe same structure: eight
beats in one gongan, phrase. It is played in two movements, fast and slow,
with hand drummingstyle used, while the gilakuses the stick style as is shown
in Example 1.
The melody is eight-beat long, stressed by the kempli, a small knob
isolated gong, and punctuated by the gong gede, the largest hanging gong,
which is sounded at the beginning of the melody. The kempur, next smaller
size from gong gede, accompanies the second half of the melody which is
carriedby a group of gangsa: pengenter,pemade, and kantil, the bronze keyed
xylophone where the keys rest above a wooden resonatorbox and produce a
hard metallic sound. Two members of the gangsa family, the tjalung and the
diegogan underline the melody. The interlockingrhythmic figurationis played
by the reyong, a dumbbell-shapedinstrumentwith gongs at each end and a set
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264 ETHNOMUSICOLOGY, MAY 1975
Tieng-tjeng
(Cymbals)
1 ^' jjjjjjjtJ j11 j jj J J
j1j- -jj j jJ
x
I I ' ==1 I 1I , , ,
Kendiang 7 K dX X# '
it
tOIj
{horizo/
ReyongX &1 , L J
Kantilanpeemode?
(metaflophones)
f3
r c rJB
F r r
pengenterr r r r
Tjalung ? Xf f r r
Diegoga)n t"X (o)
Kempli i yry J
(time keeper) -
Kempur -i F
(mid. sized
gong )
(small and laroe
gong)
Example 1. Gamelan accompaniment for Baris.
of twelve small gongs. The reyong is played by four musicians.Accompanying
rhythmic patterns are the responsibility of the tjengtjeng(cymbal). Changing
tempo indications are signalled by kendang lanang and wadon, the male and
female drums functioningas leaders of the ensemble.
The angsel or the signals are given by the dancer, the drummersextend
the information to the whole ensemble by means of different rhythmic
patterns.
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BANDEM: BARIS DANCE 265
theme 1 2 3 2 6 3 5 ?
drum pok
pattern dhuOg jLL ,
pattern pak
variation d Ug .
pak
pa
Angsel d2 .
dhug ^ J ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
^ ^ ^ p
Example 2. Baris drum patterns.
As the various types of baris remain unknown to most Westerners the
general descriptions presented here are meant as a point of departure for
further research on Balinese dance.
NOTES
1. Galungan, the biggest Balinese New Year festival, occurs every 210 days and its
celebration includes much musical and dramatic performances.
Kuningan, another large festival celebrated ten days after Galungan and represents
the end of the Balinese New Year holiday.
2. Ardjuna Wiwaha, a fragment story of the epic Mahabharata composed by Mpu
Kanwa during the period of the king Erlangga in the Kauripan kingdom of East Java,
dated 1019-1042. This story describes the marriage between Ardjuna, the Pandawa hero
and Dewi Supraba, a nymph.
REFERENCES CITED
Bandem, I Made
1969 "Dramatic Dances of Bali," Educational News. Santa Barbara, California.
Holt, Clair
1967 Art in Indonesia; Continuities and Changes. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
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