Bali is an island in Indonesia. The island is home to the vast majority of the country’s small Hindu minority. Culturally and linguistically, Balinese people have closer relationship to the people form the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippines, and the Oceania. Now, Bali is the largest tourist destination in the country.

The island of Bali has so much to offer to tourists. The beaches are beautiful, the villas are magnificent, and the people of the island have so much to share to its guests. With its highly developed arts like its dance, sculpture, painting, leather, and music, Bali have gained popularity among people all over the world.

Bali culture is strongly influenced by Chinese, Indian, and the Hindu culture. These influences can be observed in their diverse and sophisticated art forms. The gamelan, the Balinese percussion orchestra is highly developed and diverse. The island also boasts of their performing arts which often depict Hindu epic stories such as the highly popularized Ramayana with the heavy Balinese influence. Bali also has one of the most diverse and creative performing arts culture in the world. They usually stage paid performances in thousand of temple festivals, public shows, and private ceremonies.

The Balinese have many celebrations and these are held for many occasions. Some occasions include the tooth-filing, which signifies the coming-of-age of a person, cremation, and the odalan. An important idea common to Balinese ceremonies is that of desa kala patra which states that ritual performances must be suitable to the specific and general social context. There are ceremonial art forms which call for improvisation so as to provide the performer flexibility to adapt the performance to the present situation. Some of these performances are the wayang kulit and topeng.

Oftentimes, celebrations of the Bali people are loud and boisterous. These celebrations lead to rame, an aesthetic which is distinctively Balinese. There would sometimes be two or more gamelan ensembles performing in one celebration and they would sometimes compete for them to be heard. People from the audience would talk among each other, get up and walk around to see other performances. They also cheer to the performances and this adds to the liveliness of the celebration.

The inner and outer courtyards of some temples serve as spaces for performances since most Balinese rituals are performed with any combination of music, dance, and drama. Performances in the inner courtyard are called wali. These are the most sacred rituals which are offerings exclusively for the gods. The outer courtyard, on the other hand, is for the bebali, which are intended for gods and the people. The performances for the entertainment of the people take place outside the walls of the temple. These performances are called bali-balihan.

With the high rate of tourism in the island, Bali people now have more chance to showcase their arts. The foreign audience is always eager to pay and see performances. This has created more performance opportunities and a high demand for dancers. So when you go to Bali, make sure that you don’t miss these performances. These will surely make your vacation even more worthwhile and informative.