The Legong dance is the most graceful of Balinese dance and connoisseurs it’s the one arousing most interest. A Legong as Legong Dancer is known is a girl often as young as eight or nine years and rarely older than her early teens. Such important is at teached to the dance that in old age a classic dancer will be remembered as a great legong, even thought her brief period of fame may have been 50 years ago.

There are various forms of this dance, but the Legong Keraton ( Legong of the palace ) is one most often performed. Peliatan famous dance troupe. which visitor to Ubud often get a chance to see, is particularly noted for its Legong. The story behind Legong is very stylised and symbolic, if you didn,t know the story it would be impossible to tell what was going on.

The Legong involves just three dancers, the two Legong and their attendant the “Condong”. The legong are indentically dressed in Gold brocade, so tightly bound that it’s surprising they can move so rapidly. Their faces are elaborately made up, their eyebrows plucked and repainted, and their hair decorated with frangipani. The dance relates how a king takes a maiden, Rangkesari, captive. When Rangkesari broter comes to release her, Rangkesari begs the king to free her rather than go to war. The king refuses and on his way to the battle meets a bird bringing ill omens. He ignores the bird and continues on. meet Rangkesari brother ans is killed.

That is the whole story, but the dance only tells of the king’s preparation for the battle and ends with the birds appearance, the king leaves the stage it is to join the battle where he will meet his death. The dance start with the Condong dancing an introduction and then departing as the two Legong come on. The Legong dance is close formation and in minor image, as when they dance nose to nose ” love scene”. The dancer tell of the king sad departure from his queen, Rangkasari bitter request that he release her and then the kings departure for the battle. The condong reappears with tiny golden wings as the bird of ill fortune and the dance ends. Legong dance performance that you must visit when do a Bali Tours.