Mesmerizing Balinese Dance Show Comes To Popular Tourist Beach

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As tourists become increasingly interested in learning more about Balinese culture and heritage, tourism leaders on the island are delighted to be putting on more traditional dance performances to keep up with demand.

The most popular cultural show in Bali is the fiery Kecak dance which showcases how good will always triumph over evil. 

The most famous place to watch a Kecak performance is at the amphitheater at Uluwatu Temple.

The iconic open-air theatre overlooks the Indian Ocean, and audiences are invited to arrive early for the show to watch one of the finest sunsets on the island. 

While the Kecak performance in Uluwatu is one of the most in-demand tourist experiences around, other equally incredible venues are now laying on more performances so tourists have more choices about where they want to experience the magic of a Balinese cultural show. 

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The increasingly popular Pandawa Beach, which sits a 15km/30-minute drive from Uluwatu Temple, is now hosting a regular Kecak performance; and tourists are living for it!

Speaking to reporters the Manager of the Pandawa Beach Tourism Team, Wayan Letra, shared that he and his teams are happy to be providing an alternative destination to watch the Kecak performance. 

He shared, “To tourists who are currently in Bali, as an alternative to reduce traffic jams on the route to Uluwatu, if anyone has plans to watch Kecak, we invite them to watch at Pandawa Beach.”

Access to the Kecak performed at Pandawa Beach is easy and avoids much of the traffic that backs up in Uluwatu around sunset. 

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The Kecak performance at Pandawa Beach is a full show, with all the fire, costumes, music, and storytelling tourists would expect from the famous dance.

Letra said, “In general, the Kecak Dance and play is almost the same, the only difference is our location or venue.”

“We invite all visitors [to take part] if there is a funny scene from our dancers, we invite the audience to join in dancing on stage.” An interactive Kecak dance is extra special; for tourists to suddenly be immersed in the middle of the performance is a truly memorable experience. 

@bali_karisma_holidays Tari kecak merupakan sebuah tari kesenian yang paling populer di Bali, terutama bagi para tamu Mancanegara. Salah satu tarian yang biasa dipentaskan ialah Tari Kecak, perpaduan antara kebudayaan dan kesenian terlihat begitu indah. Tak hanya itu, pementasan tari kecak juga memiliki makna yang dalam mengenai kisah cinta Ramayana dan juga dipercaya sebagai salah satu wujud ritual pemanggilan Dewi Suprabha. 📍Pura Luhur Uluwatu, Desa Adat Pecatu, Kuta Selatan, Badung – BALI. CONTACT / WHATSAPP: 📞+6282147518199 TRIMS 🙏🙏🙏 =================== #kecakdance #tarikecak #uluwatu #uluwatutemple #tarianbali #purauluwatu #travelling #explorebali #explorenusantara #gwkbali #grouptravel #balivibesholiday #balivibes ♬ suara asli – Explore Bali Island

Tickets for the Kecak Dance at Pandawa Beach are IDR 150,000 per person, and the price is the same for both Indonesian residents and international tourists.

Unlike the show at Uluwatu Temple, for now, the show at Pandawa Beach is being held on weekends only; though if interest continues to grow, the team will surely rise to the challenge.  

Letra explained, “Enthusiasm for visits has increased greatly, it is almost normal [compared to pre-Covid]. In my opinion, there is an increase in the number of spectators at Pandawa Beach compared to before the pandemic. On average, 100 people visit per show.”

The Pandawa Beach venue can hold up to 1,200 people, with 100 on average per show; tourists receive an intimate performance with front-row seats all around. 

Letra hopes that word will be spread about the kecak performance at Pandawa Beach, especially as more and more people visit the area.

He added, “We will maximize this dance according to its standards, both in terms of the number of Kecak dancers and others. 

“By collaborating with online ticket sales, travel agents, and others, we hope to attract more tourists to come to Pandawa to watch the Kecak Dance.”

For Letra and the Kecak dance troop, performing the story is so much more than a tourism business.

He revealed that they barely make a profit, but they are committed to preserving Balinese culture and empowering the communities around Kutuh Village and Pandawa Beach to share their traditions with the world. 

The Kecak dance tells the story of Asia’s most famous myth, the Ramayana.

The story has its roots in the Hinduism practiced in India but has become an epic tale that is retold across Southeast Asia as it aligns with both Hindu and Buddhist teachings. 

The Kecak dance that is performed by tourists in Bali today came by way of a collaboration between traditional Balinese dancer Wayan Limbak and the German artist Walter Spies in the early 1930s. 

The dance had been perfumed proper to Spies’ arrival in Bali but in its most traditional form as a trance ritual.

The dance and telling of the story have been adapted to be an appreciative and respectful way to share Balinese culture with the world.