Series: Character Formation in Different Cultures

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Gregory Bateson: "No organism can afford to be conscious of matters with which it could deal at unconscious levels."

Trance and Dance in Bali
(22 min.)

http://vimeo.com/14807669

Trance and Dance in Bali is a short documentary film shot by Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson during their visits to Bali in the 1930s. The film was not released until 1952. In 1999 the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Records a performance of the Balinese ceremonial kris (dagger) dance-drama, which depicts the never-ending struggle between witch (death-dealing) and dragon (life-protecting), as it was given in the village of Pagoetan in the late 1930s. The dancers experience violent trance seizures, turn their krises against their breasts without injury, and are restored to consciousness with incense and holy water. Narrated by Margaret Mead against a background of Balinese music. From the Character Formation in Different Cultures series. Produced by Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead.
Release in 1952
Runtime: 22 min
Country: USA
Color: Black and White
Filming Locations: Bali, Indonesia