In Batu Bulan Village, there's a special daily show called the Barong Dance. One day, I went to see it at the Puseh Temple of the village. I've seen this dance many times before, but this time, I was curious about what happens backstage.
I watched as about 10 people got ready. They were dressing up and doing their hair to play different characters in the dance. There was one man getting into his costume to become Rangda—a scary character—while two others prepared to perform as Barong, a magical creature that fights against Rangda.
I saw two women were still puting makeup on their faces. They're going to be the opening dancers later. I also noticed some men wearing makeup, playing different roles in the dance. One man was dressed in black and white; he was the servant of the prince. Another man will play a prince.
On the stage, the musicians started playing Balinese music to signal the dance was about to begin. From where I stood, several people were already near the stage which can hold around 2000 people but less than one third of the seats were filled so far – it’s still early though, more folks might come later to watch.
The story of the dance is like a battle between good and bad guys—the fight between Barong and Rangda. But unlike most stories where someone wins in the end, here no side wins; good doesn't beat evil or vice versa. It shows that both forces are always there—it's up to us which one we let win inside our hearts.