Barong dance Batubulan: what to expect

What you see on stage

A Barong show combines dance, drama and music. The gamelan plays and the Barong enters: a lion-like guardian covered in thick fur and decorated with gold and mirror pieces. Wikipedia describes two playful monkeys opening the dance by teasing him. Rangda, the demon queen who leads evil witches, then sets her forces against the Barong's side. In the kris scene, men turn daggers on themselves, and holy water brings them back. Versions differ between troupes, so treat this as the usual shape, not a fixed script. Some moments are comic, and the audience laughs. Expect a performance in which the story, the costumes and the music all do the talking.

The story behind it

Barong performances are most often tied to the Calon Arang story, a Javanese and Balinese folk tale set in the kingdom of Kediri under King Airlangga, where the feared widow Calon Arang is the figure whose demonic form is Rangda. The show at Batubulan that NOW! Bali describes tells a different tale, Kunti Seraya, in which Kunti's son Sadewa is saved by Lord Shiva. Sources disagree on the ending: some have the Barong defeat Rangda, while Indonesian press describing a Batubulan show says the fight never ends in a clear victory. You do not need to know the outcome in advance: the theme in every version is good against evil, and a synopsis handed out at the start tells you which story your troupe is telling.

The music

Balinese dance is set to gamelan, and UNESCO's listing of Balinese dance describes movement set to gamelan music. A gamelan is an ensemble built mainly from percussion, such as metallophones and the kendang drum that keeps the beat. Balinese gamelan pairs instruments tuned slightly apart, which gives its sound a shimmer. In a Barong show the orchestra plays through the whole drama, so the music tells you the mood: the Barong's comic scenes and Rangda's entrance sound very different. UNESCO adds that Balinese dancers mostly learn the art informally from a young age, within groups.

The kris scene

In the kris scene, male dancers represent Airlangga's soldiers. Wikipedia says Rangda casts black magic on them and orders them to take their own lives; in a trance they stab themselves on the chest, and protective magic from the Barong and a priest leaves them unhurt. Indonesia's tourism site says they fight with kris daggers, turn the blades on themselves when the Barong appears, fall into a trance and are revived by sprinkling holy water. Wikipedia calls the segment sacred because it involves trance. That is the story the scene tells; how a stage performs it is the next question, and the next section deals with it.

Is the kris scene real or staged?

Sources frame it two ways. The scene's own story says the dancers are in a trance and protected by magic. A photographer's note on Wikimedia Commons from a Batubulan tourist stage describes the stabbing there as simulated, and says that in a traditional enactment the dancers would be in trance. Wikipedia also records a fatal accident with a kris at a 2021 performance in Denpasar. We cannot tell you how your stage handles it. What you can rely on is the frame: a dance drama with ritual roots, in which daggers are part of the scene. If you are unsure, decide beforehand where you will sit, and remember that you can look away whenever you like.

Language and following the plot

The dialogue is not in English. NOW! Bali says it is entirely in Balinese, and ANTARA reports that the show is performed in Kawi, so audiences rely on a synopsis. Read one before you go: the Calon Arang outline above is enough to know who is who. NOW! Bali also suggests arriving early, since you can watch performers apply makeup and costumes being readied backstage. The comic moments still land without translation, and ANTARA notes that the audience laughs at them. Treat the synopsis as a map, not a script: troupes tell the story their own way.

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Getting there and back

With the pickup option, the team collects you and the drop-off brings you back, so enter your hotel name exactly and keep your phone on. Without it, you travel to the stage yourself: give your driver the venue name, Seraya Budaya, and the address ticket sites list, Jl. Raya Singapadu, Singapadu, Sukawati, Gianyar. The booking links the meeting point in Google Maps. Arrange your way back before the show ends rather than after, and remember that a search for Batubulan alone can point to other stages. Check the pickup details in your confirmation the evening before, so you know what to expect when the team arrives.

Length and arrival

Indonesian reports of Batubulan shows give about an hour for the performance. Your booking covers more than the show: with pickup, the total depends on the option you choose, and the booking shows a range of one to five hours. The booking calendar and your confirmation show the start time for your date, so check them again the day before. If you chose no transfer, allow a few minutes to exchange your e-voucher for a ticket with the team before you take your seat. Early arrival also lets you watch the preparations that NOW! Bali describes at a Batubulan stage.

What to wear and bring

The booking asks you to bring comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes and a camera, and it sets no dress code. Ticket sites for this stage add light, breathable clothing, sunscreen and a hat for hot weather. Indonesia's tourism board gives covering shoulders and knees as the general rule on temple grounds. Your stage is not described as temple grounds, so treat that as a safe choice, not a stated rule. Alcohol and drugs, littering and making fire are not allowed. Wear shoes you can walk in on uneven ground, since the booking asks for comfortable ones.

Children, access and photos

The booking says the show is not suitable for babies under one year and describes it as suited to families. The kris scene shows daggers and a trance, so judge by your child; ticket sites suggest explaining the story beforehand. The booking states no access details, so ask the provider through GetYourGuide before you book if anyone uses a wheelchair or finds steps difficult. A camera is on the bring list, and one ticket site mentions photos with the dancers after the show. Ask the team about flash on arrival, and keep your phone on silent so the music and the dialogue carry.

Who this isn't for

If you want to watch a ceremony held for its own community, this is a show for visitors. If you need the story explained in English as it happens, it isn't: the dialogue is not in English. If scenes of men turning daggers on themselves would upset you or your children, skip the kris scene or the show. And if what you are after is a fire dance by a chanting chorus, that is Kecak, a different show with no gamelan. And if you have only a short time in Ubud, this show is one performance of about an hour, so weigh it against everything else you want to see.

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