Legong Dancers [1928, Bali]
Sign in to track this film in your collection or want list.
Legong is a form of Balinese dance, usually telling a story, performed by prepubescent girls. This film follows a group of Legong dancers as they get ready and then perform their dances.
Complete catalog record
Cfa collection: Ruth Page Collection
Notes: The film begins with a MCU shot of two legong dancers, one smoking a cigarette and the other applying makeup. It then cuts to another dancer's hair being prepared, another combing hers, and then to another being wrapped in the base layer of her costume. She smiles at the camera. The film continues cutting fairly frequently: after some dancers receive their headdresses, the film cuts to a performance by two dancers. It continues cutting to show segments of performances, one and two dancers at a time. Many carry fans and all perform intricate hand and wrist movements, as well as careful footwork. One young dancer sits on the ground and appears to imitate I Mario's famous kebyar duduk dance.; Near the middle of the film, one of the young dancers is assisted in donning a large hairy mask, apparently representing a character in a story. She is covered with a sheet. Then, a fellow dancer begins a solo while holding a stick, and halfway through uncovers the masked dancer. The two continue the story together.; The film then cuts to a shot of a group of legong dancers crossing a street, perhaps preparing for a group performance. The film ends there.
Subjects: Dance; Performances
Places: Asia > Indonesia > Bali
Language: English
Cfa elements: Print, 100 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/8673
Notes: The film begins with a MCU shot of two legong dancers, one smoking a cigarette and the other applying makeup. It then cuts to another dancer's hair being prepared, another combing hers, and then to another being wrapped in the base layer of her costume. She smiles at the camera. The film continues cutting fairly frequently: after some dancers receive their headdresses, the film cuts to a performance by two dancers. It continues cutting to show segments of performances, one and two dancers at a time. Many carry fans and all perform intricate hand and wrist movements, as well as careful footwork. One young dancer sits on the ground and appears to imitate I Mario's famous kebyar duduk dance.; Near the middle of the film, one of the young dancers is assisted in donning a large hairy mask, apparently representing a character in a story. She is covered with a sheet. Then, a fellow dancer begins a solo while holding a stick, and halfway through uncovers the masked dancer. The two continue the story together.; The film then cuts to a shot of a group of legong dancers crossing a street, perhaps preparing for a group performance. The film ends there.
Subjects: Dance; Performances
Places: Asia > Indonesia > Bali
Language: English
Cfa elements: Print, 100 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/8673
Sources
- Chicago Film Archives · record ↗ — title, year, length, format, color, sound, genre, description, catalog record, video
Record added 2026-11-08 21:25:11