Attend the Bali Arts Festival in summer

The festival usually begins with an opening parade in front of the famous Bajra Sandhi monument in Denpasar, followed by stage performances at the Ardha Chandra art centre. Over the following days, the event continues on different stages with the participation of musicians and artists from all over Indonesia.

During the celebrations, the Wrdhi Budaya art centre is elegantly adorned with traditional bamboo and coconut leaf decorations and banners. Spectators gather in front of the various stadiums and outdoor pavilions to enjoy traditional and contemporary dance performances, as well as shadow puppets, concerts and competitions for children.

In Balinese culture, dance is king! Over the course of several days, you'll have the chance to witness a number of them. The famous Legong dance, for example, features young women following a musical accompaniment played by a gamelan, a traditional orchestra using various instruments such as drums, gongs, cymbals and xylophones.

The dancers symbolise divinities, and wear colourful golden costumes and headdresses. The emotion conveyed is almost hypnotic. The dance involves the whole body from head to toe, with eye contact and finger movements. The whole thing may seem jerky and disorganised, but in reality the opposite is true. Legong kraton is the best-known dance in Bali, as it was once performed in the courtyards of the island's royal palaces in the presence of the princes.

You may also be lucky enough to witness Topeng, a masked theatrical dance. It draws its inspiration from the legends of Balinese clans and kingdoms, as well as from pre-Muslim Java. Traditionally, it is an improvisation performed exclusively by men. The costumes used in Topeng remain the same for each story, a bit like in commedia dell'arte, they are archetypes. The precise gestures of the performance are perfectly adapted to the music of the gamelan, with its silences and accelerations.