Kecak and Fire Dance…

Publié le par Raymond Conus

The Kecak (pronounced "Ketchak") is a choir of Balinese vocal percussions originally accompanying trances during rituals. Under the gaze of Western artists such as Walter Spies in the 1930s or more recently Maurice Béjart, a spectacular non-ritual form has been created, incorporating texts from the Ramayana, one of the fundamental writings of Hinduism and Indian civilization. A choir of a hundred men tells of the episode where the monkeys help Prince Rāma to beat the demon Ravana to recover his wife Sītā kidnapped by Ravana. For this they sing uninterruptedly the distinctive "chak-a-chak-a-chak" and make synchronized movements around the different protagonists of the story who intervene in the center, surrounded by the choir. The climax of the accompaniment which goes crescendo coincides with the victory during the fight. This show is atypical because it lacks instrumental accompaniment, in this case the traditional gamelan in Bali. The pulsation is provided by one of the singers of the choir. The Kecak is seated on the floor in a circle with a chef in the middle.