Baris wayang dance: Ritual meaning and community perception in balinese hinduism

Abstract

Background: The Baris Wayang Dance is only performed at the Dalem Beads Upgrading Great Lumintang Temple. This dance is a combination of dance, karawitan , vocal, puppetry, and costume, and is only performed upon the God's vision who lived at the temple occurred. Methods: This study uses a qualitative method with a descriptive-analytical approach. To obtain valid data in the field, this study used observation techniques, interviews with key informants and the community in Lumintang village, and literature studies. To analyze the above problems, religious and semiotic theories were used. Findings: The results of the study show that, the form of the Line Wayang Dance performance is composed of the structure of kawitan , pepeson , pengumbang , and pengluwuran ; performed on the basis of the God's vision who resides in the temple; danced by nine dancers while singing the purifying song, and holding puppets that represent Gods; also accompanied by traditional music, the public's perception of this dance performance is understood as a means of purifying and offering sacred offerings to God, the denotative meaning of this performance is reflecting the story of wayang and Hindu religious symbols; this dance connotatively represents the cycle of human life, a form of communication between people and the divine; and at the mythical level it is interpreted as the embodiment of the God's vision. Conclusion: Based on this phenomenon, the problems in this study can be formulated as follows, what is the form of the Baris Wayang Dance performance, what is public perception of the Baris Wayang Dance performance, what is the meaning contained in the performance from a Hindu theological perspective. Novelty/Originality of this article: The novelty of this study lies in its unique exploration of the Baris Wayang Dance as a sacred, vision-inspired ritual that integrates multiple traditional art forms to symbolize divine communication and the human life cycle within a specific Balinese temple context.