Legong (dance)
Legong is a dance that originated in its current form at the beginning of the 20th century on the Indonesian island of Bali and is performed there for entertainment. Depending on the story presented, the ensemble can consist of two to five dancers, with the most common version, the Legong Kraton ("Legong of the Palace"), performed by three dancers. This cast consists of the servant Condong , who appears at the opening, and two equally elegantly dressed members of the royal family, who are called Legong .
All Legong performances have in common the elaborate costumes made of tightly wrapped brocade , the headdress adorned with frangipani flowers, the intensely made-up faces of the dancers and the accompaniment by the Gamelan Pelegongan orchestra . The smallest nuances of facial expressions and gestures serve to convey the narrative presented and the emotions associated with it. The dance places high demands on the skills of the dancers and is often described by connoisseurs as the most beautiful Balinese dance. The leading musical instruments in the pelegongan ensemble are several metallophones ( gendèr ), the smaller metallophone saron , the hanging hump gong kempur and smaller gongs ( kemong and kajar ).
Legong Kraton
The Legong Kraton tells a story from Java in the 12th or 13th century. At the beginning a servant of the palace, the Condong, dressed in purple brocade, enters the stage and introduces the audience to the story. When the two legongs, actresses of the king and princess, appear, she hands them a fan each in her role as servant and then leaves the stage.
The ruler of the Lasem Empire, King Rangkesari, kidnapped Princess Panji from the neighboring kingdom of Daha. He tries to force her into marriage, but is rejected by her, who is already engaged. The princess knows that her brother has already started a campaign to free her; she urges the king to release her and thus avoid war. The king refuses. When all requests remain fruitless, the princess and king say goodbye to each other in a synchronously danced sequence. After the princess leaves the stage, the king sets out to confront her brother in battle.
He meets the Condong, who now represents a bird that is considered a bad omen. By imposing, threatening, and finally by pleading, she tries to dissuade the king from the fateful path. It also fails. After the Congdong and finally the King have left the stage, he embarks on a battle that will end with his death. The fight itself is not shown on stage.
The Legong Kraton is also known as Legong Lasem, after the kingdom of Lasem, the legendary place where it all happened.
Performance venues
Ubud as the artistic center of Bali is the place to experience a variety of Legong performances. In addition to the Legong Kraton described above, episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata are also shown. The performances take place in temples and in the palace of Ubud.
literature
- Stephen Davies: Balinese Legong. Revival or Decline? In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 164 , No. 2/3, Leiden 2008, pp. 194–211 (previously in: Asian Theater Journal, Vol. 23, No. 2, autumn 2006, p. 314 –341)
- Adrian Vickers: When did legong start? A reply to Stephen Davies. In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 165, No. 1, Leiden 2009, pp. 1-7
- Urs Ramseyer: Culture and Folk Art in Bali. Atlantis Verlag, Zurich 1977, pp. 236–245 (on the training of dancers)
- Eberhard Rebling: The dance art of Indonesia. Henschelverlag, Berlin 1989, pp. 119-122
- Walter Spies , Beryl de Zoete: Dance & Drama in Bali. London 1938 (new edition: Periplus Verlag, 2001)