Condong

Condong is a Balinese dance which is often performed as a preface to legong and accompanied by the semar pangulingan style of gamelan. The term also refers to a , a quintessential representation of the maidservant, found in the condong dance, as well as the legong, gambuh, and arja dances.

The condong dance originated in the palaces of Bali in the mid-19th century. Its creator is not known, but folk history suggests that a prince of Sukawati, deathly ill, saw a vision of two beautiful girls dancing gracefully while accompanied by gamelan music; upon regaining his health, this prince recreated the dance he had seen. It originally told the story of two bidadari (nymphs) named Supraba and Wilotama. By the 1930s the story had been modified, telling of a king or queen and their subject.

In current performances, the condong dancer plays the role of the subject. The choreographer Ni Ketut Arini describes the condong dancer as portraying a palace servant who both serves the king and is in awe of his power, and of the beauty of the king's daughter.

Many of the movements are simplified versions of the various legong dances; indeed, condong is considered a basic Balinese dance, and is thus learned by many children.

There have been efforts to preserve the condong dance in Bali. These have included competitions in which children perform the dance for points. Movements from condong have been adapted to more recent creations, including panyembrama (I Wayan Berata; 1971), which also includes legong movements.

Condong is generally used as a preface to the legong dance, and thus performed before it (although it may be dropped). It may also be performed before gambuh or arja dances; the condong character is typical of all of them. The condong character is also consistent throughout different stories, a quintessential representation of the maidservant who has introduced various princess characters, both Balinese and non-Balinese, including Rangkesari, Ophelia, and Miranda.

...
Wikipedia