I spent nearly a month in Bali during the holiday season and wanted to finally get some of my images posted! These images are of a spectacular dance performance, the Wayang Wong, by Puspa Kirana Arts Foundation. It has all the elements of a great opera but Balinese style; passionate singers, exquisite costumes, mesmerizing dance and haunting music. The Wayang Wong is one of Bali’s most unique and rare forms of performing arts. It is a classical drama dance that recounts the ancient Ramayana Epic using masks to portray the various characters of the story. The masks themselves are considered holy and are stored carefully in a sacred space in the temple. The amazing thing is that many performances are happening every night of the week in many grand palaces all over Ubud by various troupes. I was priviledged to get a few back stage shots before the show and then was asked by the troupes director to take a group shot when they finished.
*I did not take this image above. It was sent to me from Kadek Windiawati who very much wanted me to show her picture and share that she is the principle dancer of the Dewi Tara dance. The woman dancing in the image above her filled in that night because she was unable to make the performance.
