This may be the most famous of Balinese dances but it is not a traditional dance. It was developed in the 1930’s in the village of Bona specifically to cater to Western tastes. With no musical instruments accompanying this dance the dance troupe is “accompanied” by a large group of men (the more the better), naked from the waist up chanting ‘kechak-ke-chack’. The story of the dance is taken from the Ramayana epic and tells how the evil King Rahwana uses trickery to kidnap Rama’s wife Dewi Sita and how Rama with the help of the white monkey army rescues his wife and defeats evil. While there are no trances or daggers flaying about this is still a very exciting dance to watch.

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