Kecak, also spelled kécak, ketjak, or kechak, is a traditional Balinese Hindu dance that became popular in the 1930s. For many years, it was performed mostly by men, but the first group of women to perform kecak began in 2006. The dance tells the story of the Ramayana and is often performed in temples and villages across Bali, Indonesia.

Also called the Ramayana monkey chant, the dance involves a circle of up to 150 performers. They wear checked cloths around their waists, chant the word "chak" rhythmically, and move their hands and arms. The performance shows a battle from the Ramayana, where monkey-like Vanaras, led by Hanuman, help Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. Kecak has its origins in sanghyang, a traditional dance used to drive out evil spirits by causing a trance.

History

Kecak was originally a ritual involving a group of men singing to create a trance-like state.

In the 1930s, Walter Spies, a German artist and musician living in Bali, became interested in this ritual. He changed it into a dramatic performance based on the Hindu story of the Ramayana, including dance, meant for audiences of Western tourists.

Spies worked with an Indonesian dancer named Wayan Limbak. Limbak helped spread the dance by organizing performances by Balinese groups that toured internationally. These performances made kecak famous around the world.

This example shows what James Clifford describes as part of the "modern art-culture system," where Western countries take and change cultural elements from other parts of the world, turning them into separate forms of art. I Wayan Dibia, a performer, choreographer, and scholar, points out that Balinese artists were already developing similar forms before Spies arrived. For instance, in the 1920s, Limbak added movements from a traditional dance style called baris to the role of the leader in the kecak performance. Spies appreciated this change and asked Limbak to create a performance based on the Ramayana, using the kecak chorus instead of the usual gamelan musical ensemble.

Performance

The kecak dance is performed by about 50 to 100 men who wear only loincloths and leave their upper bodies bare. They form circular groups, with a traditional Balinese coconut oil lamp placed in the center. At first, the dancers move their bodies rhythmically to the left and right while chanting "chak ke-chak ke-chak ke-chak" in a slow, coordinated rhythm. As the performance continues, the chanting becomes faster, and the dancers raise their hands and shake them in the air. The kecak dance uses only human voices and no musical instruments. It is performed as part of dance-dramas that tell stories from the Hindu epic Ramayana. The men without shirts act as the armies of Rama’s Vanaras (apes) and Ravana’s Rakshasas (demons).

The performance lasts about one hour and tells the story of the Ramayana. It begins with Rama and Sita’s exile in the Dandaka jungle, continues with the appearance of the Golden Deer, Sita’s abduction by Ravana, the battle between Ravana and Jatayu, Hanuman’s search for Sita, and ends with Rama’s battle against Ravana. The chanters sing and shout in harmony with the story’s mood and events.

Kecak performances in Bali usually happen daily in the evening at 6 p.m. (Bali time) at Balinese Hindu temples like Uluwatu Temple and Tanah Lot. They also take place at special dance stages in places such as Ubud, Garuda Wisnu Kencana, Batu Bulan, and Pandawa Beach. Performances may also occur for cultural events or entertainment. Most dancers are local villagers who have other jobs and return to their work after performing. They earn money by selling tickets to the audience. The most popular place for kecak performances is Uluwatu Temple.

The dancers include two groups: the male chanters who shout "chak-chak-chak" and the main dancers who portray characters from the Ramayana, such as Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Ravana, Hanuman, and Jatayu. Some chanters have specific roles, like keeping the rhythm by chanting "po-po-po-po" or leading the group with commands like "Diih!" or "Chiaaat!" Another dancer sings in a melodic or rhythmic tone, and a man called the dalang tells the story in Balinese and Sanskrit. These roles are usually filled by older, experienced dancers. The rest of the chanters continue to shout "chak-chak-chak" together in harmony.

Dancers who portray the main Ramayana characters are important to the performance. Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and the Golden Deer are often played by female dancers trained in graceful movements. Men usually perform roles of strong characters like Ravana, Hanuman, and Sugriv.

During certain parts of the dance, such as when Hanuman is burned, trance rituals are performed. The dancer playing Hanuman is blessed by a priest and enters a trance state before performing a fire-kicking dance. While in the trance, the dancer does not feel pain from the fire.

In popular culture

Kecak music can be heard in the soundtracks of the following movies:

• Edipo Re by Pier Paolo Pasolini (1967)
• Fellini Satyricon (1969)
• Incontro d'amore (1970)
• The 1971 version of Kenneth Anger's film Rabbit's Moon
• I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977)
• Episode 6 of the 1982 Japanese anime Space Sheriff Gavan: "The Geniuses of the Makuu School"
• The 1984 film Blood Simple by the Coen Brothers includes a track called "Monkey Chant," which is based on kecak.
• Dagger of Kamui (Kamui no Ken) (1985)
• Akira (1988), which also includes Indonesian gamelan music
• The end credits and fight scenes of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005)
• The 2010 documentary SAS: The Search for Warriors Part 1 uses a kecak recording to wake up recruits
• A part of Mitsuri's theme in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Scenes featuring kecak dance can be seen in:

• David Attenborough's 1969 BBC documentary The Miracle of Bali (episodes 1 and 3)
• The Italian film Incontro d'amore (1970)
• The Indonesian film Mama (1972)
• A long kecak chant scene at the end of Emmanuelle 2 (1975)
• The Indonesian film Noesa Penida (1988)
• Ron Fricke's film Baraka (1992)
• Tarsem Singh's film The Fall (2006)
• Bali TV, an Indonesian television station, uses kecak chanting with visuals of Rangda and Topeng Tua mask dances in their program's opening theme since 2011

Kecak is included in several video games:

• The 1993 video game Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu II) uses gamelan and kecak music in a track called "The Oracle"
• The SNK Neo Geo arcade game The King of Fighters '97 includes kecak chanting mixed with Balinese gamelan music during a Bali arena scene. The scene also shows kecak chanters, Barong dancers, and gamelan performers
• A visual version of the kecak dance appears in the Ritual Passion level of Tetris Effect, matching the player's actions
• In Dota 2, kecak sounds are used for the ultimate ability of the character Monkey King

Kecak chanting is also used in popular music:

• 1974: The song "Money Chant" by Jade Warrior on the album Floating World includes kecak chanting
• 1978: The song "Jocko Homo" by Devo on the album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! includes kecak chanting
• 1981: The Japanese group Yellow Magic Orchestra used kecak chanting in the song "Neue Tanz" on the album Technodelic
• 1982: The song "I Cannot Feel You as the Dogs Are Laughing and I Am Blind" by Nurse With Wound on the album Homotopy to Marie includes kecak chanting
• 1983: The song "Soldier of Fortune" by Manhattan Transfer on the album Bodies and Souls includes kecak chanting
• 1985: Todd Rundgren used kecak chanting in the song "Blue Orpheus" on the album A Cappella
• 1987: The song "The Wind Chimes" by Mike Oldfield on the album Islands includes kecak chanting
• 1987: The Indonesian song "Kembalikan Baliku," performed by Yopie Latul, includes kecak chanting in the interlude
• 1991: The songs "Daughter" and "Daughter Bent & Floating" by Oxbow on the album King of the Jews use kecak-inspired chanting and clapping
• 1992: The song "Magical Wave" by Kitarō on the album Dream includes kecak chanting
• 1995: The German band RMB used kecak chanting in the song "Chakka Chakka" on the album This World Is Yours
• 1999: Mike Patton performed a kecak-like chant in the song "Goodbye Sober Day" on the Mr. Bungle album California

The sound of kecak has inspired other artists:

• John Adams' opera A Flowering Tree (2006) includes characters inspired by kecak
• The book Ketjak by Ron Silliman (1978) is named after kecak and includes related works
• A song called Devaraalan aattam by A. R. Rahman for the 2022 film Ponniyin Selvan 1 includes kecak chanting