The Provincial Government of Bali has formally taken firm steps to end what officials think is a Balinese dance form threatening the Island’s culture. The Interim Governor of Bali has issued a Circular Memorandum forbidding the performance of the traditional Joged Numbung Jaruh Dance (Surat Edaran Gubernur Bali Nomor 18 Tahun 2024 tentang Tari Tradisi Joged Bumbung Jaruh).
The Circular Memorandum issued on 22 October 2024 explicitly forbids the staging, public presentation, or uploading any videos of the controversial joged bumbung jaruh dance onto social media.
As reported by RadarBali.id, Balipost.com and Tribun-Bali.com, the Governor’s prohibition is linked to a Pronouncement (IILIKITA) of the Bali Culture Assembly (Majelis Kebudayaan Bali) issued on 21 October 2024 (Nomor 01/X/MKB/2024) signed by Professor Dr. I Made Bandem, M.A. in his capacity as the External Decision-maker of the Bali Provincial Culture Assembly.
Both the Governor of Bali and ILIKITA of the Culture Assembly seek to ban the Jauh Dance’s public performances, costumes, and presentations on social media.
At the center of a long-standing controversy in Bali, the joged bumbung jaruh dance – an entertaining “couples” danced in the evening before resuming the hard physical labor of the harvest.
The joged bumbung is also danced at wedding ceremonies and gatherings, such as celebrations of a new harvest and important religious holidays. Initially a way of socializing and celebration, the jogged bombing has become a tradition in modern-day Bali.
Over time, the Joged Bumbung evolved, resulting in a new dance – the Tari Agirang. The Tari Agirang was devised to help change the public’s perception regarding the Joged Bumbung’s increasingly erotic nuances and return the dance to its original roots as a popular, wholesome form of entertainment for both villagers and tourist visitors.
The Joged Bumbung originated from Buleleng in North Bali in the 1940s as a dance enjoyed by exhausted farmers due to working an entire day tending their crops. The Joged Bumbung is led by seductive female dancers who invite men from the audience to join in a face-to-face dance presented in reciprocating sensual gyrations.
The dance is typically performed to the sound of the gamelan bedug. Often downloaded to social media, these dance evenings can frequently become quite bawdy affairs, with both the male and female dancers advancing and retreating from each other in a highly sexually suggestive manner.
Meanwhile, a large number of Joged Bumbung Groups, such as that performed by the Sekaa Suara Mekar Group, Banjar Antap, Panjer Denpasar, conform to a more ethical, romantic, and less provocative tradition of Balinese dance.
The sexually provocative rendition of the dance is referred to as “joged bumbung jaruh.” The term “jaruh” denotes a sexually suggestive dance. The ruling by Bali’s Governor and the Bali Cultural Council forbidding the “joged bumbung jaruh.” is limited only to the sexually titillating forms of the “joged bumbung.”
The Interim Governor of Bali Sang Made Mahendra Jaya has explained the official rationale for outlawing the “joged bumbung jaruh.” The Governor said: “This dance presentation is contrary to the rules of Balinese dance, which are based on logic, ethics, and the established aesthetics of the Hindu Religion that champion purity and logic (Swam), truth and ethics (Satyam), and beauty and aesthetics (Sundaram). The “joged bumbung jaruh” tarnishes the dignity and honor of Balinese art and dance.”
The Governor also explained that the “joged bumbung jaruh” exploits the human body with bold suggestions of sexual acts or pornographic actions by the dancers. This may even include revealing the genitals and breasts, close body-to-body movements by the female dancer and her male partner, and, in some instances, actual mutual touching of the genitals.
The Balinese authorities have also called into question the costumes used by the dancers of the “joged bumbung jaruh” that can sometimes reveal the dancer’s thighs.
Finally, the Governor has decried the exposition of videos showing the joged bumbung jaruh on social media blemishes the image of Bali in the public’s eye. Adding: “Therefore, it is necessary to take action to prohibit performances of ‘Joged Bumbung Jaruh,‘ as well as stop the broadcasting of this art form on all social media.”
In implementing the ban, the Bali Cultural Council and the Bali Provincial Government will carry out coordinated control measures in coordination with relevant government departments and agencies. The control measure will include a ban on performances of the joged jaruh throughout Bali and seeking to remove all joged jaruh uploads from social media.
The ban on “joged bumbung jaruh” performance and Internet uploads takes effect from 22 October 2024.
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