The Miracle of Bali (BBC)

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Culture Documentary hosted by David Attenborough, published by BBC in 1969 - English narration

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A series of documentaries first broadcast in 1969 about the culture of Bali narrated by David Attenborough. 1. The Midday Sun (50 min) A general introduction to Bali, its people and their varied arts, with the main focus on Peliatan village, its orchestra and dancers. David Attenborough visits composer Anak Agung Gde Mandera in Peliatan, who went on a successful word tour with his Gamelan orchestra in 1952. David Attenborough also observes three young Balinese girls being trained and finally performing the greatest of Bali’s classical dances, the Legong. The girls are under the tuition of Gusti Made Sengok, a master of Peliatan Legong. Aside from music and dance, the programme focuses on the flourishing art scene. Mask maker Ida Bagus Ketut presents a selection of masks he has carved for the night-long plays and David meets traditional Balinese painter Ida Bagus Made, one of the many artists inspired by German primitivist painter Walter Spies. 2. Night (49 min) This episode covers the rituals and festivals of Bali, officially Hindu, but with origins in ancient ceremonials practised long before Hinduism came to the island. It focuses on the Balinese tradition of 'sanghyang', a sacred Balinese dance where the performers body is believed to be inhabited by a spiritual entity, rendering the performer into a trance. The first performance captured is a sanghyang dedari, a dance performed by pre-pubescent girls. Other forms of sanghyang possession trances shown are sanghyang jaran and sanghyang celeng, in which the male dancers are possessed by the spirits of horses and pigs respectively. David Attenborough also witnesses a spectacular traditional masked dance depicting a battle between mythological characters Barong and Rangda. The performance, however, descends into chaos, with men in the crowd also falling into a trance and rushing to attack Rangda. 3. Recital of Music (37 min) The final part of Miracle of Bali is a treat for fans of traditional Balinese music and dancing. Consists of performances filmed in Peliatan linked by an appropriately illustrative detail from Balinese paintings. There are recitals by four musical ensembles featuring bamboo xylophones, jaw harps, bamboo shakers and metallophones. The dances shown include the Tumulilingan Mengisap Sari (the bumblebee sips honey), the Baris (warrior dance) and the Kecak (monkey dance).