About dance and drama in Bali
Dance and drama have historically played an important role in Balinese society. Through this medium, people learned about the tales of the Ramayana, Mahabarata and other epic stories from Balinese history. In Bali, traditional music is performed by a 'gamelan orchestra' with its typically piercing and shimmering sounds. This percussion ensemble consists of bronze instruments with tuned metal keys, led by drums. There are a few wind and stringed instruments. The music is based on rhythmic and melodic cycles punctuated by gongs. Most villages in Bali own at least one set of 'gamelan' instruments for ritual occasions. Some sets are considered sacred and are played only during religious ceremonies. The following are brief descriptions of some of the more well-known dance-dramas that can be seen at regular performances, throughout Bali.

Baris
This is a warrior's dance. it is usually performed by men, either solo or in a group of five or more.

Barong and Rangda
This is basically a story about the struggle between good and evil. Good is personified by the Barong Keket, a strange and fun-loving creature in the shape of a shaggy semi-lion. Evil is represented by Randa, a witch.

Kecak
The most famous of the Balinese dances, the Kecak, originated from the Sanghyang dance choirs, who chant a distinctive 'kechak-kechak' accompaniment. The Kecak as a dance developed in the 1930's in the village of Bona, where it is still performed regularly.

Legong
This dance tells the story of Princess Rangkesari who is held captive against her will by King Lakesmi. Rangkesari's brother, Prince Daha, gathers an army together to rescue his sister. The Legong is avery classical and graceful dance, always performed by prepubescent girls, who often are as young as eight or nine years old.

Sanghyang Trance Dances
The Sanghyang Dedari is performed by two girls and is very similar in style to the Legong. The main difference is that the girls are supposedly untrained yet perfectly synchronized, even though their eyes are firmly shut. In the Sanghyang Jaran, a boy dances around and through a fire, riding a coconut palm hobbyhorse. This is frequently called the 'Fire Dance'. In both dances, a priest is always on hand to help bring the dancers out of their state of trance at the end of the performance.

Wayang Kulit (Shadow Puppet)
Wayang Kulit is one of the great story-telling traditions of the Javanese and Balinese. The Wayang show normally consists of a small 4-pece orchestra, which provides the musical accompaniment, around 60 'puppets' carved out of flat pieces of water buffalo hide and the Dalang, or Puppet-master. Good characters normally speak in ancient 'Kawi' whereas evil or coarse characters speak Balinese.