Balitraveldiary.com – Various types of dances color the everyday hustle and bustle of people in Bali, both as part of religious rituals and entertainment. The creativity of the Balinese people seemed to not break all the time. Contemporary dance creations continue to emerge. Some of them have successfully existed and side by side with classical dances that remain sustainable, while others are forgotten and lost over time. One of the dance creations that has successfully developed and received wide recognition is the Cendrawasih dance.

Since long time ago, Balinese people recognize dance as a form of symbolic expression. The symbolic message is also behind the birth of the Cendrawasih dance by Swasthi Wijaya Bandem. The natural movements of birds that live in eastern Indonesia have inspired Bandem to express the immortality of love. The bird of paradise is indeed considered a heavenly bird which is a symbol of the journey of eternal love.

Bandem represents his message in elegant choreography and a distinctive costume appearance. This dance is performed by two girls who play gracefully. One of the peculiarities in the Cenderawasih dance costume is the headdress used by the dancers. The dancers’ headdress is a golden makhota with an open top and a curved front to the back.

Through its flexible choreography and distinctive costumes and musical arrangements, this dance has succeeded in bringing a message of love to a wide audience. Adapting the choreographic elements of some Balinese classical dances, this dance is also a means of representation of the value of local Balinese culture to art connoisseurs and ordinary people. This is what then made this dance spread from studio to studio. Today, the Cendrawasih dance is one of the most popular dances from Bali. Not only on the local stage, this dance also managed to penetrate the national stage and even to the international level.