Masked king dance

In Peliatan, Bali, a masked male dancer holds up his hands to show long false fingernails. The dancer’s wooden mask is painted white with a dark mustache, large mouth, and round bulging eyes. The character’s costume includes a tall gold crown and a yellow, black, and red sequined tunic. The character’s long fingernails look fierce, but they also generally symbolize characters of high birth who do not do manual labor. (Learn more)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Learn more

In Bali, masked character dances — or topeng dances — are based on long stories not played out on stage but well-known to the audience. Many of the dances relate to epics of ancient kings. The male dancers intersperse calm and vigorous movements to show the stately power and quick reactions of the ruler.

Learn more about Bali, Indonesia, Peliatan, arts, costumes, dance, epics, kings, masks, men, performance, theater, and world cultures.

Powered by LEARN NC