INDONESIA, October 9, 2013 (India TV News): Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country with the ethnic group Javanese in majority. The group of islands has been a trade hub and the local rulers have traded with China and India since the 7th century. Local rulers gradually absorbed Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The influence of Hindu and Buddhist tradition and culture is visible in their art forms. The Ramayana Ballet is the most famous performance in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.
It’s a graceful and fluid spectacle that juxtaposes the grandeur of the large open air stage with the focused detail of the ballet choreography. The whole performance, with as backdrop, the 9th century Prambanan temple, feels exotic and, at the same time intimate. The costumes, the expressions, and the songs draw you in. One is transported back to a time of demons, heroic animals and epic royal quests. It’s a mythical world illustrated through dance and music that is the setting for a love story centuries old.
The tale is an old Indian epic which has become popular in Indonesia and is the same portrayed in the Ramayana performance at Bali’s Uluwatu. Photos have trouble capturing the movements and animate beauty of the show but hopefully this collection (link below) gives you a sense of how it feels to be in the theatre with the hundreds of other spectators.