Performers at the Kecak and Fire Dance show
This was an unusual experience and definitely not what we expected, but it was worth seeing. Once. We were on our way to another dance performance and we saw the fire show was playing that night so we made a last minute switch. We had excellent front row seats, at least until we didn't. About 15 seconds before the show started, the usher led a group of people into the area right in front of us and squished them back. I now had a tall lady with a beehive hair style and her partner with a big cell phone directly in front of me. Grrr, So much for a good shooting lane. We read the program before the show and it sounded interesting. The show started when a group of men, about 120, walked out and formed a circle around a small tower with candles. That took up about 90% of the stage area. After that a few dancers performed a Hindu Epic from the Ramayama. I think it had to do with a young lady being forced to marry against her will (but I could be wrong). The men were chanting, swaying, and popping up and down the whole time. It was fascinating to watch. When that part of the show ended, the support crew brought out a bunch of coconut husks, doused them with gas, and then started a blazing fire. After a new minutes, a big burly barefoot man came out and walked through the coconuts husks, kicking them all over the place. Sparks flying everyone and we definitely felt the heat and got high from the fuel fumes. That was the fire show.
While the show was entertaining, the crowd could have been better. There were parts of the show when they called for quiet. Of course, screaming infants (and there were a bunch) decided to scream in unison. Then to top it off many people left during the show. Since everyone was packed in the people leaving ended up walking over people on the way out, and then several people dragged or carried suitcases out. Grrrr!
Performers at the Kecak and Fire Dance show
This was an unusual experience and definitely not what we expected, but it was worth seeing. Once. We were on our way to another dance performance and we saw the fire show was playing that night so we made a last minute switch. We had excellent front row seats, at least until we didn't. About 15 seconds before the show started, the usher led a group of people into the area right in front of us and squished them back. I now had a tall lady with a beehive hair style and her partner with a big cell phone directly in front of me. Grrr, So much for a good shooting lane. We read the program before the show and it sounded interesting. The show started when a group of men, about 120, walked out and formed a circle around a small tower with candles. That took up about 90% of the stage area. After that a few dancers performed a Hindu Epic from the Ramayama. I think it had to do with a young lady being forced to marry against her will (but I could be wrong). The men were chanting, swaying, and popping up and down the whole time. It was fascinating to watch. When that part of the show ended, the support crew brought out a bunch of coconut husks, doused them with gas, and then started a blazing fire. After a new minutes, a big burly barefoot man came out and walked through the coconuts husks, kicking them all over the place. Sparks flying everyone and we definitely felt the heat and got high from the fuel fumes. That was the fire show.
While the show was entertaining, the crowd could have been better. There were parts of the show when they called for quiet. Of course, screaming infants (and there were a bunch) decided to scream in unison. Then to top it off many people left during the show. Since everyone was packed in the people leaving ended up walking over people on the way out, and then several people dragged or carried suitcases out. Grrrr!