In Bali, it is common and accepted practice to incorporate both modern and traditional elements in creating new work. Subali-Sugriwa: Battle of the Monkey Kings, for example, utilizes newly composed music, traditional dances and movement vocabulary, new choreographies, as well as original arrangements of traditional music and melodies. This production features five fully choreographed dances interspersed throughout the performance: the Kayonan (Tree of Life) Dance, Bidadari (Angel) Dance, Raksasa (Ogre) Dance, Monyet (Monkey) Dance, and Gabor (Welcome) Dance.
Kayonan
In all wayang performances, the kayonan dance always precedes the drama. The kayonan symbolizes creation and its associated elements: earth, air, fire, water, and ether. It marks the intersection of the divine and human worlds, and also the meeting of past, present, and future, as the ancient stories are retold and continue to have moral relevance in present day life. Here, the kayonan dance from the wayang tradition has been transposed into a dance for three performers holding large custom-made kayonan. Their movements depict the power of creation and the elements of air, fire, and water.
Bidadari
Raksasa
Monyet
Gabor
Balinese Wayang Listrik at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 