Bali Crowded with Tourists, Barong Show Lives Again
- VIVA/Ni Putu Putri Muliantari
VIVA – Bali is a famous tourist icon from Indonesia which has natural beauty and authentic traditional culture. Many artists live here. Recently, local Balinese artists have been able to breathe easier since tourism has recovered.
Although the situation is not completely normal, tourists from abroad are starting to visit Dewata Island again.
The arrival of about 2.000 tourists a day also brings happiness to local art cultivators such as traditional dance and percussion. One of them is the artist at The Barong and Keris Dance which is located in Kesiman, East Denpasar, Bali. Sekaa Barong, who has performed in front of tourists since 1990, had been on hiatus for two years due to the pandemic.
During that time, about 60 people involved in it lost their jobs, not including the guide agents who usually take tourists to the location. This art performance venue, which is located on Waribang Street has been reopened since last Sunday, May 1, 2022.
The owner of the art studio, Ida Bagus Raka Pudjana, who was met on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, said that when it was first opened last week, not many tourists attended. He admits that the interest of international tourists or what is often called Caucasians is higher than domestic tourists.
During the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the local artists there didn’t feel busy. However, since the re-opening of this barong performance, it’s enough to make the workers in it happy.
Bali, Indonesia
- unsplash,com
One of them is Nyoman Ariasa. The head of the percussion (Balinese gamelan) section admitted that he was very happy when he found out that Sekaa Barong would return to the stage.
For two years, Nyoman and his other colleagues had to be unemployed, so this was an opportunity to rise even though there were not as many tourists who came before.
"I'm here from the start. We hope that tourism will be normal. Hopefully, it will improve so that we will be more enthusiastic to work," she said to reporters.
This Barong show is shown every day from 9 AM to 10 AM local time. It costs Rp150.000/person. There is no difference for domestic and international tourists.
One of those who got splashed by this fortune was the guide who brought international tourists. His name is Made Murawan, this guide from Denpasar City for two years had to change his direction from being a baker to a driver online.
"Yes, I am very enthusiastic, especially happy when I first returned to escorting guests, it felt like my life was starting to return to normal," he said excitedly when he no longer had to sell and become an driver online.
Although Made and the other guides often accompany foreign tourists, domestic guests are also present in this Balinese art performance.
One of the visitors from Jakarta, Dafa with her parents came to the Kesiman area to watch the barong during her family's Eid holiday. From the dramas performed by the artists, Dafa admitted that he understood the storyline better.
As information, Barong dance is a style of traditional Balinese and Javanese dance from Bali and Java Indonesia. The dance demonstrates the mythological depiction of animals that have supernatural powers and could protect humans.
