Do you still remember Ramayana? The epic-saga which was a required reading back in college? Yes, that is right. Originally written in Sanskrit language, the epic saga was adapted by Javanese into a delightful extravaganza of colorful costumes, beautifully choreographed ballet, and a drama (without any dialogue). I guess the compelling choreography does the talking. Not to mention the intricate Gamelan orchestra.
Ramayana, is a dance tradition in Indonesia, which can be found in Java and Bali. Prambanan Ramayana Ballet, is probably the most famous for tourist as it is located near the iconic Prambanan temple although there are also performances in some part of Yogyakarta and Bali.
As I have mentioned in my previous post, we took a train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta for our Jogja itinerary which includes the Ramayana Ballet Performance on that same day. We arrived at around 4pm and immediately went to the venue as it will take 30 minutes from the train station. The performance starts at 7:30 pm so I highly recommend you take your dinner first as the show takes 2 hours. According to Indonesia tourism website, the cultural performance usually held during dry season as it is performed in an open air theater. I have no idea if there are indoor performances. Please note that it is only available on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and there may be some covid restrictions in place at the time of posting. So please check prior to booking a ticket.
We took our dinner at a nearby restaurant and then laze around while waiting for the show to start. The area is surrounded with souvenir shops and local restaurants that serve local food apparently. I saw quite a handful of international resto and fastfood establishments for additional option to tourist.
The brick path was illuminated by “LED” lamps as we walk towards the amphitheater earlier than the scheduled performance hoping to get a good seat but we were not the only one anticipating the early crowd. But we still managed to get a good vantage point of the show.
To set proper expectation, Ramayana Ballet is not like the western ballet in the ‘Swan Lake’ with women dancing on their toes in white uniform. It is completely different, from the costume, to the sound scoring, and the choreograph, all working together to depict the story of Ramayana.
The performance starts with an ensemble of Indonesian traditional instrument with Prambanan Temple as the backdrop. There are screens on each side of the stage projected for some description to give you an idea of what is going on as it may be confusing at times specially if you have no background of the story. It is also very important that you pick a pamphlet (freely given at the entrance) as it will guide you thru the entire show. And if you can read a summary of Ramayana before the show, would be helpful to have an immersive experience.
It was a surreal experience with the full moon cooperating, adding a magical element of the very mystifying variety of movements deliberately executed often slowly and almost serrated to create a wonderful performance. I do not want to spoil you with all of the details as I highly recommend you add it in your bucket list.
The evening ended with a spectacle of fire show and a standing ovation.
Have you watched the Ramayana Ballet in Prambanan? I heard the one in Bali is equally delightful. Let me know in the comment below. Consider upvoting and reblogging this post in support of the author. Please follow for more interesting stories. Thank you.