Uluwatu Kecak Dance: Overview, Synopsis, Schedule, And Ticket Price

Uluwatu Kecak Dance, just like the name, the dance is related to the Kecak Dance show performed in Uluwatu Bali. Uluwatu itself is a tourist attraction in the form of a Pura or Hindu temple. It is located on the top of the limestone cliff with the ocean as the background.

Being one of the most popular destinations in Bali, Uluwatu is always full of visitors except at certain times like Nyepi. People love it not only to see the local tradition and rituals. More than that, Uluwatu is considered the best place to watch the sunset. Well, imagine it being at the top of the cliff and watching the beautiful sun set behind the ocean. It sounds great, isn’t it?

Seeing the high enthusiasm of tourists in visiting Uluwatu, the management decided to add another attraction to it. Now, people don’t only explore and watch the temple along with the sunset but also they can enjoy the Kecak Dance. So, here are things to know about the Kecak Dance Show in the Uluwatu Temple.

Specially Presented for Tourists

The Kecak Dance Show in the Uluwatu Temple actually has no relation to spiritual activities in the temple. It is purely and specially presented for tourists. Yes, the show was not conducted in the past only for the last few years.

But of course, the dance show doesn’t disturb the worshiping and prayer activities in the temple at all. Kecak Fire Dance is even considered suitable to perform in the yard of the temple as the dance itself has a spiritual value.

The dance implicitly delivers a message about how good can always defeat an evil no matter how hard it is. The message is in line with the Hindu concept in which people must always do good things instead of the evil ones for their own happiness.

The Description of the Kecak Dance

Kecak Dance is performed by dozens of people. In some other places, the dancers involved can even be hundreds and thousands to break a certain record. Meanwhile, in the Uluwatu Temple, the number of dancers is only around 50-75 dancers. Most of them are males.

The dancers are sitting in the yard forming a round pattern. While raising and moving their hands, they utter the words “cak, cak, cak”. Yes, there are no musical instruments to play and the only music comes from their mouths. These dancers are commonly topless and they only wear pants with checker-pattern clothes on their waist.

Those many dancers who sit around are only the supporting dancers of the show. The main dancers later come into the middle and they perform a dance telling about the story of Ramayana. So, there are around 4 main dancers to play characters namely Rama, Shinta, Rahwana, and Hanoman.

The Synopsis of Ramayana Story in the Kecak Dance

Throughout the Kecak Dance, there are 5 segments of dancing with the Ramayana Story. In the second segment, the main dancers enter the stage and the “cakcak” mouth instrument tempo is getting slower. The dance no longer focuses on the bunch of sitting dancers but on the 4 main dancers who play the Ramayana Story.

The story tells about Rama, the Prince of the Ayodya Kingdom who was exiled by his father after the father was incited by his wife, Rama’s stepmother. The exile location was far in the middle of the monkey forest, the setting is very suitable with the condition of Uluwatu anyway.

Fortunately, Rama was not exiled alone but with his wife, Shinta, and his loyal brother, Laksamana. Meanwhile, there was Rahwana, the Evil character who loved Shinta. Knowing Shinta was in the forest, Rahwana decided to kidnap her.

Rama was very furious after knowing his beloved wife was kidnapped by Rahwana. He and Laksamana attempt to save Shinta with help from Hanoman, the king of monkeys. They fought for Shinta’s freedom with Rahwana and it ended with them burning Rahwana’s palace.

Rama finally successfully defeated Rahwana and he brought back Shinta to the monkey forest, where they lived happily ever after. Additionally, there is a firework show during the Kecak dance show. It is particularly in the scene when Rama burned down Rahwana’s house.

Location, Schedule, and Entrance Ticket Price of the Kecak Dance Show in Uluwatu

The Kecak Dance Show in Uluwatu takes place in the yard of the Uluwatu Temple. The location is special because you can also watch the stunning sunset with the ocean background before the show begins. The show starts every 6 pm-7 pm. It opens every day except Balinese big days like Nyepi.

For the ticket price, it is IDR 100,000 to enjoy all the things in the area of the Uluwatu Temple. It is recommended to pre-order the ticket before 4 pm. Yes, the tickets are usually sold out very quickly, particularly during the holiday season. It is also better to be in the audience seat area before 5 pm. Therefore, you can get the best sitting area for a better experience in watching the Kecak Dance Show.