Barong dance is one of the popular dance in Bali that often to performanced for the tourist beside Kecak Dance. Some Places in Bali Performs Barong dance daily, some in the morning some in the afternoon to attract the tourist.
Barong is the character in the mythology of Bali. He is king of the spirits, leader of the host of good and enemy of Rangda in mythological traditions in Bali. The lion Barong is one of five traditional Barong. In Bali each region of the island has its own protective spirit for its forests and lands. Each Barong for each region is modeled after a different animal. There is a boar, a tiger, a dragon (or serpent) and the traditional lion. The lion is the popular one as it comes from the Gianyar region where Ubud (the home of tourist viewed ritual) is located.
The story behind The Barong dance is within the calonarang, the dance drama in which the Barong appears, the barong responds to Rangda's use of magic to control and kill her to restore balance.
In tenth century the mother of king Erlangga, names Ratna Mengali A.K.A Calon arang was condemned by his father because she practiced the black magic. In some story she killed her husband just by pointing her left hand to him for revenge (this part is not perform on Barong dance (calon arang drama).
After she become a widow, she summoned all the evil spirits, the leaks (black magic practicer) and the demons to spread a disease in Erlangga's kindom, and to after Erlangga himself to kill him. Sick and death is become everyday vision in the kingdom, the people are fidgety and suffer.
Seeing that situation Erlangga ask for help by doing an asceticism and the God Shiva achieve him an immortal and a magic. Then he fight Calon arang who are transform to be a Rangda (represent the badness) and Erlangga himself transform to be a Barong (represent th goodness). The Barong called his soldier (the keris dancer) to fight her with with the magic windy sword (Keris) , but then the Rangda casts a spell on them so that they fall into a trance and stab themselves instead of her. At the end the Barong will perform at last to release the keris dancer from her curse and the priest will sprinkle a holly water (Tirta) to the keris dancer to awaken them from the trance.The fight are tight and the power are balance and none of them are win. This is a philosophy of the power of the badness and goodness are balance in this world and we need to keep it balance.
The sacred Barong (Ratu Gede) and Rangda (Ratu Niang), mostly every village's temple has to keep the balance, but it will not perform often, only in a particular time and situation, and this is completely different with the regular Barong dance that perform daily for the tourist. Every years in a few days before Nyepi day the villagers will bring them to the sea to hallow a long with the Pratima (symbol of God) in an ceremony called Melasti.
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