The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXXI, Part 1-2, 1983 - Khamkoo

I Made Bandem and Frederik Eugene deBoer, Kaja and Kelod: Balinese Dance in
Transition (Kuala Lumpur, Oxford University Press, 1981), pp. 191
In 1938 Beryl de. Zoete and Walker Spies published their classic 'Dance and
Drama·. in Bali, which was reprinted ten years ago by the publishers who have brought
out the title under· review, a handsomely produced volume complete with ten black and
white. plates,. 52 colour plates, nine pages of figures~ a very necessary glossary, a bibliography
and index. I Made Bandem and deBoer at~ consciously updating the earlier
work, and codifying and classifyirtg the changes which have taken place in ilie now no
longer esoteric realm· of Balinese dance.
The book is divided into six main sections, and their order depends on an
understanding of the meaning of kaja and kelod in Balinese. Kaja, 'toward the
mountain', is the realm of the gods, kelod, 'toward the sea', is the place of demons
and devils. Humans occupy the middle ground between. So the book moves from
the dances of the inner temple in Chapter 1, through a classical dance or'th~ second
tempi~ courtyard, il.ie masked dance~ of the bebali or ceremonial group, the secular
dances in the outer temple, to secular dances in secular spaces. The last main chapter
deals with magic dances of the street (crossroads are places of evil) and the graveyard,
a~4 there is an epilogue dealing with performances for tourists, notably the cak dance.
It is fitting that the book should start with the rarest and most mysterious
berutuk of the Bali Aga village of Trunyan. Whether it is really a dance or a ceremony
could be debated, but it is sacred, with masks (and aU that impli~s in the Balinese
context) and quit.e extraordinary combination of initiation, purification, devotion and
release. One would have· liked. to know more of the source of information for the
description of the statue in .the Trunyan temple; only Stutterheim and Bernet-Klempers
have left accounts, but neither is given as the source. _The statue and the rites relating
to it are not in the .ge~e.ral Balinese tradition, and have curious similarities (as do the
costumes .of the dancers) with the Tolo of New Britain.
It is probably equally fitting that the book almost ends with a· description of
the keeak dance, sometimes known as the monkey dance. The basis of the dance is
sacred (the solo cak chorus is in one of the inner temple dances) but the performance
for tourists is purely secular,. and now tells the whole of the l{amayana in one hour
flat; a masterpiece of compression. It may be significant that this Balinese dance which
is .the mo~t popular with tourists is cine of the very few devised for them and is profane
in In.ore than one sense.
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