Kebyar

Like the Baris the Kebyar is a solo exhibition dance, but of a more individualistic kind. The Baris portrays the movements of a generalizide Balinese warrior. In Kebyar the accent is upon the dancer himself, who interprets every nuance of the music in powerful facial expressions and movement. Kebyar originated in North Bali around 1920, but'the man most often credited with its creation is the late Mario, a dancer whose superb performances of Kebyar remain unparalleled.

The most popular form of Kebyar in South Bali is Kebyar Duduk, the "seated" Kebyar, where the dancer sits cross-legged throughout most of the dance. By de-emphasizing the legs and decreasing the space to a small sphere, the relation between dancer and gamelan is intensified. The dance is concentrated in the flexibility of the wrist and elbow, the magnetic power of the face, and the suppleness of the torso.

The music seems infused in the dancer's body. The fingers bend with singular beauty to catch the light melodies of the met allophones, while the body sways back and forth to the resounding beat of the gong. As the dance progresses, the dancer crosses the floor on the outer edges of his feet and approaches a member of the orchestra, usually the lead drummer. He woos the musician with side glances and smiles, but the drummer is too abs orbed in the music to respond. Insulted, the Kebyar dancer leaves him and sets out for a new conquest.

The Kebyar is the most strenuous and subtle of Balinese dances. It is said that no one can become a great Kebyar dancer who cannot play every instrument of the orchestra; for to attain perfection, all the moods of the music-lyrical, idyllic, dark, ominous be reflected in the disposition and skill of the dancer. In Kebyar Trompong, the dancer actually joins the orchastla by playing a long instrument of circular knobbed kettles called the trompong, as he continues to dance and twirl the trompong sticks between his fingers.

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