Bali 2010 Photos - Kecak

There many dances in Bali but none as dramatic as the Kecak dance.  It is taken from the Hindu epic Ramayana and tells the story of Prince Rama and his rescue of Princess Sita, who has been kidnapped by the King of Lanka.  There is no gamelan music to this dance, only the chanting of 150 bare chested men.  The culmination of the dance that we saw included the fire dance by a single participant who, while in a trance state, runs over, in, and through a pile of burning coconut shells and husks while barefoot.