Bibliograph

Celestial dance, directed by Kari Soveri

Type

Label

Celestial dance, directed by Kari Soveri

Language

eng

Characteristic

videorecording

Main title

Celestial dance

Medium

electronic resource

Oclc number

784652496

resource.otherEventInformation

Recorded 2004

Responsibility statement

directed by Kari Soveri

Runtime

Summary

Sanghyang Deling is a special religious ceremony performed in a remote village in the volcanic region of northern Bali. This beautifully poetic event is meant to protect the village and its inhabitants from demons and practitioners of black magic. To ward off the insidious creatures with magical powers, all of the inhabitants of the village participate in preparing the ceremony. They decorate the temple area, prepare sacrificial gifts and the food. This event has rarely been seen by outsiders. The key part of the ceremony which is based on Hinduism, consists of two young girls who dance according to strict Balinese traditions. The girls chosen for the task have never received any dance training although they have seen the dance many times before. They only dance while in a trance. The ceremony is led by a Hindu priest who asks the deities to descend into their midst in the temple and to enter into the body of puppets which are representations of the two girls. While dancing the girls murmur chants that have healing properties and exorcise the evil spirits that threaten the village

Target audience

general

Contributor