Kecak and Fire Dance
is a special dance performace is that the accompanying music is
provided by the human voice, the gamelan suara, a choir of a hundred men
or more sitting in concentric circles, swaying, standing up, lying
prone as the story develops.Amongst the swaying masses the voices of the
storytellers can be heard telling the unfolding tale. The story is a
fragment from the Ramayana, the Hindu epic which finds its expression in
many forms, not only in dance, but also in painting and carving.
Prince Rama,
heir to the throne of the kingdom of Ayodya, and his wife Sita have been
banished from the kingdom by King Dasarata as a result of trickery by
Rama’s stepmother. The story begins with the arrival of Rama and Sita
accompanied by Rama’s brother Laksmana in the forest of Dandaka. The
trio have been observed by the demon Rahwana, King of Alengka, who lusts
after the beautiful Sita. Rahwana sends his prime minister Marica to
try and isolate Sita so that Rahwana can kidnap her.
Marica's magical
powers turn him into a golden deer and he enters the forest and when
the Sita sees the golden deer she is so enchanted by it that she asks
Rama to capture it for her. Rama chases after the deer leaving his
brother Laksamana behind with strict instuction to protec Sita. When
Sita thinks she hears a cry for help from Rama she forces Laksamana to
go after Rama by accusing him of cowardice and he goes off to help Rama
with great reluctance after drawing a magic circle on the ground and
telling Sita the she should not under any circumstance step out side the
circle.
Sita, left
alone in the forest becomes an easy prey to the trickery of Rahwana who
has disguised himself has an old periest and bags Sita for some food as
he is cold and hungry. Sita falls for for his trick, she steps outside
the circle to give the old priest some food and rahwana grabs her and
takes her to his palace.Once back in his palace in Alengka, Rahwana
tries everything he can to seduce Sita without any luck. In the palace
of Alengka, Sita pours out her heart about her cruel fate to Rahwana's
niece Trijata, when Hanoman appears telling her that hi is Rama's envoy
and proving it by showing her Rama's ring.
Sita gives
Hanoman a hairpin to show she is still alive and sand him back to Rama
with a massage to come to her rescue. In the meantime Rama and Laksamana
accompanied by Tualen are wandering in the forest looking for Sita when
Meganada, Rahwana's son, appeares and engages Rama and Laksamana in
Battle. Meganada uses his magic powers and shoots of an arrow which
magically turns in to a dragon which overpowers Rama and Laksamana and
they are trussed up in ropesThe bird Garuda, King of all the bird, a
good friend of King Dasarata, has observed trouble Rama is in from high
up in the sky and comes to the rescue freeing the brothers from the
ropes.
Rama and
Laksamana continue on their way to rescue Sita and are joined by
Sugriwa, king of the monkeyes, and his monkeys army. This fragmen of the
Ramayana come to an end with the bittle between Sugriwa and his Monkeys
Army and Meganada and his Demon Army which ends with the defeat of
Meganada.
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