As the sun was setting over Bali, we got in one of the cars from Grand Mirage Resort and headed to Nusa Dua Theater. We were extremely excited about the show we were about to see. And though we had previously been to a dinner with show on the hotel's premises, we were really curious about this high production we heard so much about during our stay in Bali - 'Devdan - Treasure of the Archipelago'.
As we arrived at the theater, we were faced with one reality: Bali has some of the most beautiful sunsets.
We nervously waited a few minutes before they opened the gates, time in which we got to appreciated our surroundings. Nusa Dua is this enclave of high-end hotels and perfectly designed parks, sprinkled with the essence of Balinese culture. It is also a quite unique place, with an air of exclusivity, as in order to enter Nusa Dua everybody needs to pass a security check.
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| Balinese flags and burning torches in front of the theater's entrance (left) & Woman dancing Legong during the show (right) |
Then the show started. And it gave me goose bumps! Our bodies were still there in the Nusa Dua Theater, but our imagination was on an incredible journey. Devdan has 5 sections, each exploring the cultural heritage of a different part of Indonesia. We started in Bali, but then we traveled to Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Papua. And each region was unbelievably different from the others and they were all enchanting.
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| Kecak Dance - a form of Balinese dance inspired from Ramayana |
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| Warrior Dance from Java |
The story behind the show is a cheesy one. But we found it funny how much we related to it. Two kids on holiday in Bali feel bored and decide to explore the island on their own. They soon discover a treasure chest and as they dig in, they find all kind of mysterious and fascinating objects that teleport them all over Indonesia. As they find a new object, the comments of the kids (in English!) are often funny and ignorant and they are meant both to educate the audience and as a parody to the way tourists behave. As I said, we related to them.
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| Water Dance from Borneo |
No dance was like the other, no two regional costumes the same. Devdan showed us the immense cultural diversity Indonesia has and invited us to come back and explore more. I am a dance fanatic and a sucker for pretty traditional costumes. And I was smitten during the whole duration of the show. I wish they would bring Devdan to Europe. I'm 110% sure they would be a huge success and I would get to see them again. The young dancers were not merely performing, they were creating perfection!
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| Dayak Dance from Borneo |
My favorite part of the show was this fearless and bold Sumatra dance performed entirely in the air. I literally gasped in amazement. It was magnificent and I just couldn't have enough of it. Did I mention they got some help from Cirque du Soleil when putting up the show? So Devdan is a kind of SE Asian Cirque du Soleil and if you like this kind of shows, you will love the one performed at Nusa Dua Theater. I know we did!
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| Sumatra Solo Aerial, no safety rope or net is used |
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| Sumatra Acrobatic Dance |
There was love and there was war. There were forbidden wishes and wild imagination. There was water and there was fire. There were dazzling effects and there was an astonishing rainbow of colors and lights. There was movement; energetic movement; through space and time. And the music was inspiring. We went back to the hotel dreaming of exotic lands. And that's a weird thing to say when one is in Bali.
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| Papua Dance |
We were guests of Devdan, however all opinions expressed here are our own. Images courtesy of Devdan (except for the sunset and the theater's entrance ones which are our own)
What a beautiful show! I loved all the colors. That sunset was pretty spectacular too :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie! Indeed, both the sunset and the show were perfect and we enjoyed them tremendously. What followed was a romantic dinner, so it really felt like we were in paradise ;)
DeleteWow these pictures are just too beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThey are, aren't they? Devdan was such an interesting show to watch!
DeleteNice photos which bring back memories. I went to see a show like this when I was 12( a very long time ago! And it was a fascinating show I think it was 1972 approx....we were two families and we drove from Jarkata to Yogjarkata and then on to Surubaya and then Bali by plane. I foundit a little unnerving that nearly everywhere we went in Java kids used to come up to me and touch my very fair hair.It was supposed to give good luck.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I've hear the story with the hair so many times before, but they were usually happening in African countries :) Still I can't even begin to imagine how alien everything must seem to a child when facing another reality so different from his own for the first time.
DeleteWhat an interesting show! Is it new? I visited Bali a few years ago and I can't remember it. I would love to go back and see this.
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous photos! This post just transported me back to my own trip to Indonesia in October. It’s such a beautiful and fascinating country!
ReplyDeleteSounds stunning - and, like you said, like something that would be successful elsewhere, too! I hope I get the chance to see it one day, either in Bali or somewhere else, now that I know of it:).
ReplyDeleteLooks like a nice place to visit. Nice article and beautiful pictures
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