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Costumes in the ancient era are a part of local custom. The coverings of the body and ways to cover the self were based on societies’ beliefs. Upper wear in the ancient era is categorized as tube, shawl, corset, one-piece, body painting and tattoo, jewelry, and cross. The Indonesian words are mentioned in italic.

The tube(kemben) consists of one piece of cloth that is wrapped along the chest, leaving the shoulders bare<Fig. 1, 2>. It was used as a costume during ceremonial events and separating social status in daily wear. The shawl(syal) consists of one piece of cloth that is wrapped to cover the chest and shoulders<Fig. 3, 4>. This is commonly used to protect the body from heat and cold. The corset is found in Borneo and is made by rattan, referred to as the Rawai Lama<Fig. 5, 6>. It was used for ceremonial events and to distinguish the age of a woman. One piece of cloth(terusan) covers from the chest down to the feet<Fig. 7, 8>. It was used both as an everyday costume and ceremonial costume. Tattoos are used in Mentawai, Borneo, to describe and give meaning to a person<Fig. 9>. Body painting in Irian Jaya is used in ceremonial events<Fig. 10>. Jewelry was made to celebrate and represent beauty to god. Jewelry was made of shells, bones, feathers, beads, and flowers<Fig. 11, 12>. Cross cloth is wrapped over the chest in opposite lines, creating an ‘X’ figure. This type is used for ceremonial events only<Fig. 13, 14>.

Modern era costumes are the result of religious influence. Ancient costumes came to be considered as backwards and clothes sewn by machines treated as superior. Upper wear in the modern era is grouped into the kebaya and tunic(Baju Kurung). The kebaya was influenced by the traders from China, the Middle East, and Portugal. Kebaya’s structure is a fit upper wear with a full opening in front<Fig. 15, 16>. This type of clothing is divided into the Indonesian kebaya, Chinese kebaya(kebaya encim), and Dutch kebaya(kebaya Belanda). The kebaya was a part of a social status and politic during the colonization by the Dutch. The costume is worn by three different ethnic groups with different structures, allowing the Dutch to easily identify a person’s ethnic grouping(Lukman, Piliang, & Sunarto, 2013). The Indonesian Kebaya consists of a simple long-sleeve blouse that covers from the neck to the knee with a sarong. The Kebaya Encim, worn by the Chinese woman, imitates the white color seen on the Dutch Kebaya, even though white in Chinese culture describes death. The Kebaya Encim was redesigned based on the Chinese qipao collar and embroidery. The Dutch Kebaya is a redesigned Indonesian Kebaya that is made with luxurious lace, white cotton, and silk, with colorful sarongs. The Dutch Kebaya appears with shorter sleeves.

The tunic style was influenced by Malay clothing<Fig. 17, 18>. This upper wear was influenced by the Arabian and Indian traders and identical with garments seen in the Islam religion. The shape of the tunic blouse is an oversized top with a small slit at the neck. The purpose of this clothing is to cover the whole body based on Islamic teaching. The tunic is used for daily wear, formal, and ceremonial costumes.

Balinese participants’ costumes are worn by the congregation. This costume is similar with the king’s and queen’s costume, referred to as the Great Costume(Baju Agung)<Fig. 19, 20, 21>. This elaborate costume is filled with gold patterns and is also worn in tooth filing(metatah) performances and wedding ceremonies. The most important item is the headdress(gelungan), which looks like a crown filled with real gold and flowers. They also use gold plugs piercing in their ears. Next, the breast cover binds the chest and long skirt(kamen), with the under skirt(tapih) binding the hips. A long thin belt(sabuk) wraps the waist and covers part of the breast and skirt.

In modern days, the participants’ costumes are more practical and simple by wearing a kebaya blouse made by lace and a long wrapped traditional skirt <Fig. 22>. In addition, a sash belt is tied at the waist <Fig. 23>. The Dutch brought the Javanese Kebaya to Bali in order to differentiate the race of each ethnic group(Lukman, Piliang, & Sunarto, 2013). The Kebaya then acculturated. For example, the usage of the sash around the waist was similar with their local costume.

Performers in a ceremony include the priest, dancers, and music performers. These persons are carefully selected and respected by the society. In Bali, dance is not only a stage of art. It is a way to appreciate and worship god’s blessing and kindness(Suardana, 2012). The dance is performed as an opening and welcoming ceremony for the deities and ancestors to purify the temple or during the cremation(ngaben) ceremony(Suardana, 2012). The dance is also a way to educate the locals because social content are embedded inside the dance’s story. Balinese dance is inspired by nature, from the eye movement, dancing fingers, and body structure. The dance is always accompanied by gamelan instruments. Gamelan is an ensemble of instruments. The Gamelan player wears an udeng as the headpiece(for males) safari shirt, long skirt (kamen), outer skirt cover(saput), and a stole (anteng) inside the safari shirt.

Dancers’ costumes consist of makeup, headdress, clothing, and accessories. The makeup will show what character the dancer is, whether she is a bad(keras) or good(alus) character. The headdress is also a main item for dancing. The main textile for the costumes, Prada, is made by the technique of creating a pattern by applying gold leaf on the cloth. Dance costumes will be analyzed in detail in the next chapter.

Based on sacredness, the Wali dances are the most important dance. Performed before a ceremony, the Wali dance welcomes the deities and ancestors. It also purifies the temple where the ceremony is held. Included in this group are the Rejang, Baris, Pendet, and Sanghyang Dedari dances.

The Rejang dance is performed all over the island to ensure that the island will not lose its ‘purity.’ Performed by maidens or postmenopausal mothers, the costume consists of a dried palm headdress, stacked to imitate an offering. The body is wrapped with a long narrow Prada belt with a Prada inner skirt(tapih) and white outer skirt(kamben). The dominant yellow and white color represent sacredness and life<Fig. 25>. The Baris dance depicts the manhood of Balinese warriors(Suardana, 2012). The costume consists of layered beaded stripes(awiran) and a headdress shaped as a pyramid. The wrist and ankle of the dancer are decorated with Prada cloth. The costume appears to be strong and big<Fig. 25>. The Pendet dance costume uses a traditional Bali costume that consist of a wrapped Prada belt, from one shoulder, over the chest, covering the torso, combined with an outer skirt made of Prada cloth, a headdress of frangipani and golden flowers, and with the dancer holding a bowl decorated with dried palm leaves filled with flowers<Fig. 26>. The Sanghyang Dedari dance is only performed by young girls. The costume consists of a wrapped Prada belt around the upper body, with a Prada skirt, and a white belt wrapped around the torso. The costume is dominated by the color yellow, again implying sacredness(tenget)<Fig. 27>.

The Wali dances are performed by virgin maidens, in exception of the Baris dance. The costumes’ characteristics reflect the pure and angelic with the addition of the spiritual, decorative, and theatrical.

Bebali Dances are a mixture of what is sacred and entertaining. The theatrical drama narrates the story of the Balinese kingdom in a mixture of the art of sound, theater, dance, and literature. The Gambuh dance is included in this group. The classical Balinese drama consists of several figures. The costume of the Gambuh dance shows the characteristics of the decorative, theatrical, festive, and magnificent<Fig. 28>.

The Balih-balihan dance genre is entertainment. The purpose of the dances is to entertain during a ceremony, and could be done anytime without restriction. This type of dance could be danced for attracting tourists. Included in this group are the Kebyar, Janger, Legong, Topeng, and Kecak dances.

The Kebyar dance is a solo expressive dance. The dancer connects his mind and body with the music, and practices without a consistent dance routine. The costume consists of a wrapped Prada belt around the body with a long wrapped Prada cloth that goes between the legs of the dancer, creating a train of cloth. The accessories include the Badong Kain, a circular breast cover used like a necklace, and headpiece called the Udeng<Fig. 29>. The Janger dance is a social dance that shows friendship among Balinese youths. Danced by sixteen youths, the dancers wear a set of costumes consisting of a wrapped Prada belt on the body, a kamben Prada, two long cloths attached on each side of the torso, and a headdress shaped as a triangle with decorative beads and gold leaf<Fig. 30>. There are different sources purported for the legend of the Legong dance, the best-known being that it came from the dream of a king. It was told that the king I(/ee/) Dewa Agung Made Karna had a vision of dancing celestial maidens(Dibia & Ballinger, 2004). This dream later became the beginning of the Legong dance routine. The costume consists of a Prada shirt, Prada belt wrapped across the torso, Prada skirt, a head piece, and accessories<Fig. 31>. More information regarding the Legong dance costume is discussed in the next sub-chapter. The Topeng(mask) dance is performed with dance, dialogue, and music. The dance costume consists of a mask, shirt, layers of beaded stripes on the shoulder, and a wrapped Prada cloth from the chest to the knee. Underneath, the dancer uses pants and under skirt wrapped on the waist<Fig. 32>. Lastly, the Kecak dance is a performing art of the story of Ramayana. The performers wear Poleng(black and white checkered cloth that signifies guardian) wrapped on their waists and covering half of their thighs<Fig. 33>. The dancers are bare-chested.

Balih-balihan dance costumes are more theatrical, decorative, and festive than other types. The characteristics align well with the purpose of the dance classification, to entertain the audience.

The Legong dance was recorded in the Babad Dalem Sukawati(a genealogical chronical of the court of Sukawati) to be created in 1811(Dibia & Ballinger, 2004). The dance has a close relationship with the Hindu Dharma period instead of the pre-Hindu period. It was the king I(/ee/) Dewa Agung Made Karna, who dreamt about seeing two celestial maidens(angels) dancing. The dream so amazed the king that the next morning he gathered dancer masters to create a dance based on the dream. As the result, his vision was translated by the temple priest and village headman, then perfected with music(Dibia & Ballinger, 2004). The word Legong comes from the words ‘ling,’ which means a dance, and ‘geng,’ which means ‘to have a big voice,’ In other words, the Legong’s purpose is to make the audience amazed by the dance(Oral Statement Interview by Saba, July 8, 2015).

Based on the Hindu Dharma, the gods appreciate beauty. The terminology of ‘beauty’ in Bali is separated between beauty in the female and the attractiveness of non-human(Davies, 2012). In a dance, beauty is seen through the dancer. The way they precisely move their body through the music, how they synchronize the dance move with their partner, and how they express their emotions through their charm (Davies, 2012). The Balinese believed that if the Legong girls look alike, they would make a very fine Legong dancer(Covarrubias, 1937).

In Bali, the religion required Balinese people to dance. To have a skillful and famous dancer was to lead to into pride and prestige in the village. Saba is one of the best known village for the Legong dance. The paper did a field research in Puri Saba(Saba palace) and SMKN 3 SUKAWATI<Fig. 36> and did an oral research with the Legong dance master, I Gusti Ngurah Serama Semadi, or known as Anak Agung Rai Saba<Fig. 35>. The talent of dancing was also believed to be hereditary. This fact is proven by the bloodline of the Legong dance in Saba. The pioneer of Legong dance in Gianyar was Saba’s grandfather, I Gusti Gede Oka, or known as Anak Agung Raka. Saba’s father, I Gusti Ngurah Jelantik, or known as Anak Agung Raka<Fig. 34> is one of the greatest Legong master in the twentieth century.

<Fig. 34> 
I Gusti Gede Oka or known as Anak Agung Raka (commons, 1954)

<Fig. 35> 
Anak Agung Rai Saba and Daughter
(Photographed by researcher, 2015)

<Fig. 36> 
Trying the Legong costume
(Photographed by researcher, 2015)

Based on the oral research, it was stated that the Legong dance is a delicate and feminine dance. Before, only prepubescent girls age five to twelve perform this dance to signify the elegance of the angels. After they reach the age of puberty, the young girls retire from the Legong dance. The Balinese believed that when a dancer glances at their opposite sex during the performance, the dance loses its meaning. However, today, due to modernization and its popularity, the Legong dance is danced by girls with a wide range of ages. The Legong dance is a balih-balihan dance, with the purpose to entertain the audience. Therefore, although the dancer past puberty or even married, they do not disgrace the temple.

The young girls are trained for at least six months to practice the Legong movements. There are 200 dance movements, the basics movements are the ‘Agem Kanan’<Fig. 37>, ‘Agem Kiri’<Fig. 38 >, ‘Ngekes’<Fig. 39>, ‘Ngenjit’<Fig. 40>, ‘Tanjak Nandang’<Fig. 41>, ‘Tinayog’<Fig. 42>, ‘Ngecak paleuh’<Fig. 43> and ‘Peralihan Gerak’<Fig. 44>. The reason this dance is performed by young prebuscent girls is the young dancer’s body is flexible to perform the difficult gestures as their bones are still developing(Davies, 2012). The dance is believed to be the basic dance for young girls before performing other grown up female Balinese dances.

<Fig. 37> 
Agem Kanan Movement
(Photographed by researcher, 2015)

<Fig. 38> 
Agem Kiri Movement
(Photographed by researcher, 2015)

<Fig. 39> 
Ngekes Movement
(Photographed by researcher, 2015)

<Fig. 40> 
Ngenjit Movement
(Photographed by researcher, 2015)

<Fig. 41> 
Tanjak Nandang Movement
(Photographed by researcher, 2015)

<Fig. 42> 
Tinayog Movement
(Photographed by researcher, 2015)

<Fig. 43> 
Ngecak Paleuh Movement
(Photographed by researcher, 2015)

<Fig. 44> 
Peralihan Gerak Movement
(Photographed by researcher, 2015)

The section focuses on the developments of the Legong dance costume from 1920s until after the 2000s<Fig. 45>. The Legong dance costume in the 1920s was well documented by European anthropologists that studied the culture. The costume shows the basic Legong dance with a white shirt instead of Prada shirt. The Gelungan is made from organic materials, and the Prada cloths were made using gold flakes.

<Fig. 45> 
Developments of the Legong Dance Costume
(Timeline by researchers, 2017)

The 1930s was the peak of Balinese tourism encouraged by the Dutch, drawing foreigners to the ‘ancient’ island of Bali. The costume in this decade is more elaborate, with a Prada shirt, with Prada techniques only on the arms and fresh organic materials used for the Gelungan. During the 1940s there were political changes due to the Japanese invasion and Indonesian independence. Consequently, gold flakes were rare and expensive. Therefore, it was replaced with the cheaper option of silk screen gold paper.

The 1950s was the best decade for the Legong dance. The revival of Balinese tourism gave rise to the dance as one of the iconic dances of Bali. The costume was the basic Legong dance costume; however, alternative materials were used to increase durability. From the 1960s, the Legong dance had several reconstructions as the dance developed its story. Nevertheless, the iconic costume did not have significant changes other than materials.

The Legong dance costume consists of a headdress, bracelet, necklace, breast cloth, lamak, belt, Prada skirt, Prada shirt, and a fan<Fig. 46>. As with many other dance costumes in Bali, the gold headdress(Gelungan) is the holiest part of the costume, as the head is also considered the holiest part of the body. The concept of duality in Rwa Bhineda is seen from the headdress as it determines whether the character is a protagonist(alus) or antagonist(keras). In this case, the Legong dance is a protagonist (alus) character. Once made with gold, today the headdress is made with leather, colored with gold paint, and frangipani flowers. “In some villages, this headdress is considered sacred as it is stored in a high and revered place in the shrines”(Dibia & Ballinger, 2004, p. 78). The headdress is shaped as a twin tower with two fringes hanging beside the forehead(Dibia & Ballinger, 2004). Another iconic element is the Prada shirt(Baju). The shirt, which rarely appears in other Balinese female dance costumes, is created in the name of aesthetics. A breast cover(Tutup Dada) wraps the upper body on top of the shirt by a narrow and long Prada cloth. Hanging down the chest is a piece of Lamak, created from leather with elaborate carvings or printed with Prada technique. The accessories include a bracelet(Gelang Kana), created from leather or Prada cloth, used on both the upper arm and wrist. A necklace shaped as half of a circle(Badong) is worn. The belt(Ampok-ampok) is made of carved leather with extra leather on both sides of the hip and at the back. Lastly, a fan(Kipas) completes the costume. The Balinese Legong dance costume represent the character of the ‘angels,’ dancing celestial maidens appeared in the king’s dream.

<Fig. 46> 
Structures of the Legong Dance Costume
(WeltMuseumWien, 2013; Chart by researchers, 2017)

The Legong dance costume portrays the aesthetics of ‘Theatrical,’ ‘Angelic,’ ‘Charming,’ and ‘Decorative.’ The aesthetics are inspired from the story and costume of the Legong dance.

The Legong dance is a ‘Theatrical’ pantomime with stylized action that acts as a story telling medium. The way the dancers display emotion through their head, eyes and hand movement express the role of angels. From the costume, the exaggerated shoulders and makeup expressed the theatrical feeling. Moreover, the luxurious gold signifies a festive visual that appears through the accessories and Prada pattern.

‘Angelic’ aesthetics shown in the Legong Dance costume are taken from the headpiece shaped as two towers and the belt expressing the angel’s wing. The young maiden dancers performing the dance symbolize gracefulness of the dance. The Legong dance described pure sexless beauty(beauty with no gender) through the innocent children.

The dancer’s image created by the body conscious silhouette while they moves their head, eyes, fingers, and body to display the ‘Charming’ side of the dancer. The aura that shines from the dancer while they enter a self-induced trance expresses their dainty side that enchanted the king through his dream.

Lastly, ‘Decorative’ is taken from the details on the costume. The elements are seen in the tower of flowers(bancangan) headdress that quivers when the head moves, the strong makeup, gold patterned blouse and skirt, and the leather ornaments that accentuate the movements. These combinations in the costume highlight the dance’s character.