Dennis Schmelz - Galungan - Victory of Dharma
This extraordinary short film shows a special take on the Ganungan holiday, the victory of dharma (good) over adharma (evil) and the time when the ancestral spirits visit the Earth.
You can see the Barong dance, telling the story of the fight between Barong and Rangda, which stands for the eternal battle between good and evil. In the mythological traditions Barong is the king of the spirits, leader of the hosts of good, and enemy of Rangda, the demon queen and mother of all spirit guarders.
Schmelz had the chance to shoot with traditional Balinese dancers. One of the precious traditional dances is Rejang, traditionally performed by young women, beautifully adorned with headdresses, in the inner courtyard of a temple. Rejang is also one of the holiest sacrificial dances to entertain the visiting gods and spirits.
Legong is another very common dance featured in the film. Telling the story of 13th century Java, it is a fast-paced dance with demanding movements and a cultural treasure of Bali.