Legong Semarandhana in Balerung stage, Peliatan

Legong Semarandhana in Balerung stage, Peliatan, Tirta Sari. Dancers: Aan Devita and Nitha Suwitri. Recorded the 23th of November 2018. Context. This dance was filmed at the Balerung stage, in the small town of Peliatan (near Ubud, Bali), where the world fame of Balinese dances and gamelan music began. Indeed, the first international tour of Balinese artists in Europe and , which took place in 1952, brought together a group from Peliatan and led by A.A. Gede Mandera. Since that time, Peliatan has remained one of the historic centers of Balinese dance and music. Two heir groups of the famous troupe of 1952 are Tirta Sari and Gunung Sari, which give show for visitors every week. Tirta Sari at the Balerung stage on Friday evening and Gunung Sari on Saturday. Many of the best dancers in Bali learn their art in Peliatan. Legong Semarandana is a dance that developed in Balinese royal courts. At Peliatan’s Balerung stage, this dance is sometimes on the program. The narration refers to a long Javanese Hindu poem, a myth about the origin of love and passion between humans, embodied by the couple in love, Semara, god of love, and Ratih, goddess of the moon , interpreted by two twin dancers who perform a choreography symbolizing their harmony. Shiva then intervenes, who is furious to have been disturbed by the couple in his meditation. Semara tries in vain to pierce him with arrows. Shiva who has taken on the appearance of the terrible Rangda curses the desire that forces him to create the mortal world and will reduce the two lovers to ashes. I apologize for the inaccuracies in the story and thank in advance anyone who could correct or complete the explanation.