Here is a postcard from Indonesia! This is a really interesting dance shown here known as the Kecak dance (Kecak = “Ke-chahk”), or the Kecak fire dance, a performance that involves chanting, dancing, a fire, and storytelling. This is a traditional dance performance held in Hindu Temples – some of the big ones include Uluwatu Temple and Tanah Lot. It involves fifty or so bare-chested men, sitting around (or in this case, simply facing) a set of torches. During the performance, these men chant a very quick and rhythmic “cak kecak kecak kecak”, altering their CPM (their “caks” per minute – APFY-coined term) at certain points. Having watched a video of it, it’s a VERY entrancing chant, and it’s stuck in my head as I write this! The performance is coupled with a drama of the epic of Ramayana, one of the most popular epics of Indonesia, where dancers dress up as the characters and perform dance and actions from the story. If I recall correctly, I got to witness a Ramayana wayang ballet when I visited Yogyakarta (the dance style of wayang is REALLY cool and unique, worth watching a video of it), though I have never seen the Kecak dance in person (as I’ve never visited Bali). Ramayana is a bit too complex to summarize in this post (“I’m a bit too lazy” is also a partially fitting statement), but there is one point where the Monkey King, Hanuman – the coolest character of all #teamhanuman – escapes being burned alive and instead sets fire to the antagonist’s palace, which is dramatized through the lighting of the torches in the center. Between the hypnotic chant, the compelling story of Ramayana, and, hello, being the in the presence of the Monkey King, this makes for a really unique viewing! Thank you so much for this marvelous postcard, Fenny, and for all your kindness!
