Story of Bali, Indonesia

She continued to wind and float before them, and they followed her with tiny steps, then wove a circular pattern round her while she knelt. They moved continually into a fresh formation, crossing each other with very careful slow foot movements, in a file, by pairs, crossing, recrossing, crying towards each other with the high pitched, wailing cadence of Sisias. Then they screamed all together towards another small dancer just entering between the umbrellas, whose dress was differentiated from theirs by a wide pradaed stole, by the sash at her waist, and by the brilliant train which swept her feet. Like them she wore a Legong head-dress.

. The princess addressed them one by one in high, whining tones, saluting them; then they developed their dance before her, really a dance of worship, with much dipping and rising, swift revolutions, and slowly shifting patterns, a maze of fleeting lines and levels, till they slowed down and sat all together at the far end of the stage, while the princess danced for herself with deliberate smooth steps and plaintive voice, her slow solo broken for a while by the more agitated pattern of the tjondong, on whose shoulder she would drift to rest. This was the last we saw of her in action, for as we have seen, this lovely classic opening was only a false facade affixed to a heterogeneous fun-fair. A Balinese audience would be the last to complain at the smothering of a story by farce, however irrelevant. The temptation was too great; three of Bali's most famous comics were on the spot and an ocean of mirth swept away all memory of the romantic actors, whose role was over almost before it had begun.

The story from Tantri Kamandakal on which this performance was based is as follows. Mrs. Ape leaves her two children, Mardawa and Mardawi, with the Wicked One, while she goes to gather berries. The Wicked One after a time finds that he is hungry and eats the ape children. When Mrs. Ape comes back he pretends that the god of death has come and taken them. Finally he strangles Mrs. Ape as well. The souls of the three dead apes all go to heaven. The Wicked One eventually goes to hell.

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