Devdan, a night of dance and culture

We have just returned from another trip to Bali and one of the highlights of this trip was the stage performance spectacular, Devdan Show, a night of dance and culture.

Dance and Indonesian culture go hand in hand, and this show highlights Indonesia’s varying cultures in the Treasure of the Archipelago. Story telling is an important part of Indonesian dance and Devdan is no exception.

The vibrant, colourful spectacle of Devdan is a dynamic fusion of traditional and modern dance with gymnastics and aerobatics. The 90 minute performance is a magical whirlwind tour taking the audience across the Indonesian Archipelago including Bali, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Papua, highlighting the culture of each island through dance.

The dazzling costumes worn by the dancers and the hi-tech special effects from the fire scene, rainfall and river running across the stage keep the audience in awe.

Devdan’s story begins when two young children set themselves apart from a tour group and climb a cliff. Finding a treasure chest, each item they discover in the chest takes them and the audience on a dance journey.

First, the udeng, a man’s headdress takes us to Bali. Here the Lesung dance, a traditional performance by village housewives is performed after rice harvest time and see a Balinese village ablaze with fire. A beautiful handmade textile cloth called Songket takes us to Sumatra for the weaving dance, rain dance bringing torrential rain pouring down inside the theatre and acrobatic flag dance. The Kris takes us to Java for the warrior dance, bedhaya dance, some shadow puppetry and a hip hop dance. Next we are taken to a sleepy fishing village in Borneo with the aerophone mussel horn where a flying maiden trapped in a net skilfully glides through the air, followed by a duo aerial strap and water dance. Finally the Koteka, a symbol of Papua brings a typical Papuan traditional house, an upbeat Papuan tribal dance and finally a spectacular fire dance.

Throughout the show there are two screens that display information regarding the region and dance story. We were provided with a behind the scenes tour before the show and permitted to take photos during the show, but no video. During the final encore permission is granted for all patrons to take photos and video.

Located in Bali Nusa Dua Theatre, the fully airconditioned complex has a seating capacity of 700. When the doors opened and we were welcomed to the theatre, each of us posed for an entry photo prior to being escorted to our seats. After the show we took our own souvenir pictures with the cast.

Devdan is a perfect way to understand the Indonesian culture being entertained by the colourful spectacle of dance. The cost of tickets for the show includes return transfers from hotels throughout Bali and performances are held four days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

In travel we learn about different cultures and this big production with its spectacular costumes, riveting dance with intricately synchronized movements is simply amazing to watch. Add the theatrics of remarkable aerial acrobatics, the illusion of special effects and energy from modern contemporary dance, set in a complex with state of the art stage, sound and lighting systems and you have a dynamic and entertaining show that will take your breath away.

Are you a lover of musicals and big production numbers? Does this sound like a great way to learn more about the lesser known Indonesian cultures and different regions?

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