ABSTRACT
The Balinese theatrical dance performance kecak is an art form that incorporates many layers of sound and movement in performance. The male solo dancer is accompanied by a gamelan ensemble, which provides the musical structure for the dancer's movements. As stated above, the kecak is a complex form of theatrical dance performance with many layers of sound and music relating to each other. Regarding the structure continuum, the kecak can be located closer to the 'fixed' end but with interspersed variations and even improvisations. The choreography and composition provide a fixed layout that guides the performance's overall progression but is open to variations based on improvisation in sound and movement. It is clear that many kecak performances deviate enormously from such an idealized kecak. In the case of the kecak, the primary realization is that the matter of interrelation changes significantly in connection to the performance context and perhaps more precisely to the amount of routine and lack of innovation in a performance.
