The Sacred Traditional Balinese Dance

Sang Hyang Jaran is a sacred traditional Balinese dance in which entranced dancers imitate the movement of a soldier or a horseback. I witnessed this occurrence as it is now a public tourist attraction in Ubud, Bali. I had to pay Rp. 200,000 which is around 20 SGD to watch this fascinating traditional experience. It is said that during the dance, the dancers are possessed by and ancestral deity named Gandawara on a horseback. The dancers for this dance are usually called the Pemangku who are temple priests. They are put into trance and then when the song plays, the dancer falls to the ground and rush to grab the horses. Coconut shells are lit and then the dancers cross over them as a symbols of their sins being free. Amazed and shocked, I gazed as the dancers made their way through the fire as their feet were not wounded by the fire at all. Good thing I brought my Canon 5d Mark 3 with me that day so I was able to capture the essence of the flame clearly.

Iso 1600

f 2.8

Av mode: speed auto

Lens: Canon 24-70mm