Traditional Barong and Keris Dance Show

The Barong and Keris Dance is Bali’s most iconic dramatic performance — a sacred dance drama depicting the eternal cosmic battle between Barong (the lion-dragon spirit of good) and Rangda (the demon queen of evil and black magic), enacted with extraordinary theatrical power by performers who are themselves in a state of trance. Experiencing this ancient ceremony in Batubulan, where the tradition is maintained to the highest standard, is an experience that stays with you permanently.

The Barong figure is one of Bali’s most important spiritual protectors — a lion-like creature with a long, shaggy body, red and gilded face, and dramatic eyes that is worn by two dancers inside the costume. It is genuinely sacred: only ritually purified dancers may inhabit the Barong, and the costume itself is consecrated and treated as a spiritual entity rather than a theatrical prop.

The performance begins with attendants dancing in praise of the Barong, establishing his presence and power. Rangda then appears — a terrifying figure with wild hair, enormous fangs, and a long red tongue, her entrance marked by a surge of dramatic gamelan percussion that sends a genuine chill through the audience. The ensuing battle between good and evil involves dozens of performers, with soldiers of the Barong falling under Rangda’s spell and turning their own keris daggers against themselves.

The keris trance sequence is the performance’s most dramatic and genuinely mysterious element. Under Rangda’s enchantment, performers attempt to stab themselves with sacred ceremonial daggers — and visibly do not injure themselves, their skin apparently protected by the spiritual power of the Barong. Pemangku priests bring performers out of trance with holy water and prayers.

The story ends with equilibrium rather than simple victory — Barong and Rangda represent forces that must be perpetually balanced rather than one defeating the other.