10 Best Traditional Dance Shows in Bali
Live Dance and Theatre Performances in Bali
Traditional dance shows in Bali allow you to enjoy some of the island’s most alluring visual treats. There’s a good mix of dance and drama, with live performances mostly presented on dedicated stages and amphitheaters. Some performance venues are even part of restaurants offering cultural dinners. You can admire barong and kris performances, kecak dances, and eloquent legong and joged dancers in vivid costumes.
Shows are held regularly and some feature different line-ups of events throughout the week, adding to the variety of colorful highlights that you can appreciate on your next visit. Keep these great restaurants and venues in check whenever you’re feeling in need of feeding both body and mind.
1. Uluwatu Temple Amphitheater
Traditional temple dance at sunset
Good for: History, Photo
Uluwatu Temple is one of the best places on the island to admire Bali’s legendary dance-drama spectacles, known locally as “kecak”. The temple has an open amphitheater run and performed in by the local Pecatu villagers’ cultural cooperative. 2 kecak dance troupes regularly perform at the Uluwatu amphitheater, namely the Sekaa Tarian Kecak and Sekaa Tari Kecak Karang Boma dance and gamelan group.
The acapella performance involves over a dozen or more male performers dancing and rhythmically chanting, “chaak, chaak, chaak”, which gave the dance its name. Shows are held regularly around sunset and usually run for an hour. Read more
Location: Jalan Pura Uluwatu, Pecatu, Badung, Bali 80362, Indonesia
Open: Daily from 7 am to 7 pm
Uluwatu Temple Amphitheater
2. Devdan Show at Nusa Dua Theatre
Aerial silk dancers meet music and drama
Good for: Nightlife, Photo, Unusual
Devdan is a 90-minute theatrical show that combines spectacular dance choreography and state-of-the-art lighting, audio, and special effects. It tells of a boy and girl who decide to break away from their mundane tour group, only to stumble upon an enchanted treasure chest filled with various cultural objects from the different islands in the Indonesian archipelago. This is where the show’s subtitle, “Treasure of the Archipelago” fits in.
Their adventure goes on from there, as each discovery of an item from the treasure chest brings a corresponding scene to the stage, complete with acrobatics on the floor and even aerial silk dancers suspended from the ceiling. Read more
Location: Komplek ITDC Nusa Dua, Nusa Dua, Badung, Bali 80363, Indonesia
Open: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday from 7.30 pm to 9 pm
Phone: +62 (0)361 770 197
Devdan Show at Nusa Dua Theatre
3. Bali Agung Show at Bali Theatre
A Balinese legend bought to life through dance
Good for: Nightlife, Photo
Bali Agung is a theatrical art performance at the Bali Theatre, a modern purpose-built indoor theatre at the MARA RIVER SAFARI LODGE at Bali Safari & Marine Park. It’s performed regularly throughout the week so is easy to fit into a vacation schedule.
Loosely based on a Balinese legend, the performance is brought alive through lively dance choreography, vibrant costumes, dramatic music compositions, and state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems. A unique aspect of the show is that it combines traditional and contemporary dances, as well as traditional shadow puppetry using modern techniques. Read more
Location: Jl. Bypass Prof. Dr. Ida Bagus Mantra Km. 19, (Golden Line of Bali), Ketewel, Gianyar, Bali 80551, Indonesia
Open: Tuesday–Sunday from 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm (closed on Mondays)
Phone: +62 (0)213 648 6674
Bali Agung Show at Bali Theatre
4. Agung Rai Museum of Art
A night of dinner and dancing
Good for: Food, Nightlife, Photo
The Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) in Ubud has an open stage showcasing Balinese performing arts on certain days of the week. Each of these performances is available with dinner options. “Kecak” performances usually take place in the evening on a full moon or new moon. “Legong” is performed every Sunday by the Peliatan dance troupe. “Wayang wong”, a mime-like dance, is every Monday at 7 pm, and a similar dance, “topeng jimat”, is performed every Wednesday by ARMA’s own troupe.
There’s no better way to soak up the local culture and history than by enjoying a delicious dinner while watching the energy and passion displayed by these traditional dance troupes. Read more
Location: Jalan Raya Pengosekan, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
Open: Hours vary by event
Phone: +62 (0)361 976659
Agung Rai Museum of Art
5. Kampoeng Bali at RIMBA Jimbaran Bali
A traditional Balinese village in restaurant form
Good for: Food, Nightlife, Unusual
Kampoeng Bali is an open-air restaurant located at the RIMBA Jimbaran Bali By AYANA hotel with views overlooking tranquil water features and green rice paddies. The name of the restaurant translates to “Balinese Village”, which describes just what the venue delivers: an authentic experience in a traditional Balinese village, complete with dramatic live “kecak” (fire dance) performances.
The venue presents a grand buffet complete with live cooking stations with a wide variety of local dishes, including “babi guling” (whole spit-roast pig). As Kampoeng Bali is an open-air venue, during the rainy season, which usually takes place between October and March, dinners are alternately hosted at the resort’s Padi Restaurant.
Location: RIMBA Jimbaran Bali by AYANA, Jalan Karang Mas Sejahtera, Jimbaran, Bali 80364, Indonesia
Open: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 6 pm to 10 pm (closed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays)
Phone: +62 (0)361 846 8468
Kampoeng Bali at RIMBA Jimbaran Bali
6. Café Lotus
Delightful theater and ballet by the lotus pond
Good for: Food, Nightlife, Photo
The Lotus Cafe overlooks the lotus pond and amphitheater of Ubud’s Taman Kemuda Saraswati temple. Dance and drama performances start around 7.30pm, with a weekly line-up that includes “joged” dance with a bamboo orchestra, Ramayana ballet performances, “legong” dances, and both male and female orchestras.
Front row tables beside the lotus pond provide the best views. A la carte menu selections include Italian and fusion cuisine, as well as local Balinese delights such as “ayam betutu” (slow-roasted chicken) and “bakso ikan” (fish meatball soup).
Location: Jalan Raya Ubud, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
Open: Daily from 8 am to 9.30 pm
Phone: +62 (0)361 975 660
Café Lotus
7. GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana) Cultural Park
Theatre in a park full of vast sculptures
Good for: Photo, Unusual
The Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park (GWK) offers a day out in a massive open park that’s home to one of the largest statues in the world. GWK has an open amphitheater showcasing live cultural performances in the late afternoon. These include “barong” (a dance-drama depicting the eternal battle of good versus evil) and “kecak” (depicting a scene from the Ramayana epic, accompanied by a chanting chorus of male dancers.
Other cultural performances include bamboo orchestras, “joged” (a social dance) and the mesmerizing “legong” (royal court dance) performed by petite dancers in vivid costumes. Read more
Location: Jalan Raya Uluwatu, Ungasan, Badung, Bali 80364, Indonesia
Open: Daily from 9 am to 9 pm
Phone: +62 (0)361 700 808
GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana) Cultural Park
8. Barong & Kris Dance Jambe Budaya
Comedic scenes in the midst of traditional dance
Good for: Nightlife, Photo, Unusual
The Jambe Budaya Theatre in Batubulan offers a different kind of Barong dance performance (depicting the battle of good versus evil), with its shows presented in play-like format. Many of the performers are residents of the Batubulan village, and unlike common Barong performances in the area, the antics of the comics (such as those acting out the roles of monkeys and other animals from the Ramayana’s monkey forest episode) can be quite hilarious.
Compared to other local amphitheaters, the setup of Jambe Budaya’s stage is also modern, laid out with carpets and supported by advanced lighting and sound systems.
Location: Batubulan, Sukawati, Gianyar, Bali 80582, Indonesia
Open: Daily from 9.40 am to 10.40 am
Phone: +62 (0)812 3990 2301
Barong & Kris Dance Jambe Budaya
9. Sahadewa Barong Dance
A long-established traditional theater
Good for: History, Nightlife, Photo
Showing “barong” and “kecak” dance performances daily in the Balinese artists’ village of Batubulan, the Sahadewa performing arts theatre has 2 stages, one of which is indoors allowing you to enjoy shows year-round.
The Sahadewa stage is also one of Bali’s pioneering local stages. It has been presenting daily shows since 1972. The barong dances here are shown mainly at its open stage, while the indoor stage hosts cultural dinners as well as varieties of other traditional Balinese dances such as “legong” and “jegog” (with bamboo orchestra).
Location: Jalan SMKI, Batubulan, Sukawati, Gianyar, Bali 80582, Indonesia
Open: Hours vary by event
Phone: +62 (0)823 4064 3830
Sahadewa Barong Dance
10. Laka Leke Garden Restaurant
Balinese kids perform a frog dance
Good for: Food, Nightlife, Photo
Laka Leke combines an enriching dining experience with a weekly roster of Balinese dances. The restaurant features an outdoor setting with thatch-roofed pavilions set around rice paddies. Their regular dance nights includes a buffet with chiefly Indonesian cuisine, while an a la carte menu offers specialty selections such as “nasi campur” (mixed rice platter), signature crispy fried duck, and satay varieties.
Kecak dance is performed on Mondays, and the barong and kris dance is featured on Wednesdays. Fun and interactive “joged” dances take place on Thursdays, while Saturdays show the amusing “frog dance” performed by Balinese kids. Afternoon arts and craft workshops let you learn woodcarving, kite making, bamboo weaving, and gamelan (traditional Indonesian ensemble music).
Location: Jalan Nyuh Bojog No.32, Mas, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
Open: Daily from 9 am to 11 pm
Phone: +62 (0)361 977 565
Laka Leke Garden Restaurant
This article includes opinions of the Go Guides editorial team. Hotels.com compensates authors for their writing appearing on this site; such compensation may include travel and other costs.