Classical Balinese Dance – Legong Keraton Lasem /cc English, Indonesian

The Legong dance is one of Bali’s most visually alluring royal court performances. It is a refined dance form characterized by intricate finger movements, complicated footwork, and expressive gestures and facial expressions. The word “legong” has been interpreted differently and its origins are debated. One explanation is that the word comes from “leg” which means an elastic or flexible dance, and “gong” which means or refers to the gamelan music accompanying the dance. Legong Keraton or Kraton (Dance of the Palace) is one of the fifteen traditional types of legong dance, and probably originated in the late 19th century as secular entertainment (“Balih-balihan“). Nowadays the Legong Keraton Lasem is performed by three dancers, the “condong” (a female attendant of the court, maid of the queen of Salem – dressed in red) and two identically dressed legong dancers who initially adopt roles of royal importance (princesses). Traditionally the dancers are well trained, prepubescent girls. A comple