PREFACE3INTRODUCTION6MANUSA YADNYA9Mepetik – Hair cutting 13Wayang Lemah14Mapandes – Tooth filing15Pawiwahan – Marriage16Topeng Pajegan19Bali Aga coming of age ceremonies20PITRA YADNYA22Penusangan - Funeral24Pelebon - Cremation25Topeng Pajegan31Nganyut - Casting the ashes32Nyekah – Post-cremation rituals33DEWA YADNYA35Daily rituals40Galungan rituals42WALI DANCES46Rejang, Pendet, Abuang46Baris53Rejang59Perang Sampian63Chinese Lion dance64The wali dances of Ketewel66Sang Hyang Legong66Legong Sakral67The wali dances at Sakenan68DEWA YADNYA (continued)71BEBALI DANCES71Topeng Sidha Karya73Gambuh78Interlude: Ngunye – Street processions84Wayang Kulit86Wayang Wong87Perang Dewa – The battle of the gods94Melasti – Trip to the sea96Interlude: Bagia Pula Kerthi99BHUTA YADNYA100Banten – Offerings103Barong Kedingkling105Interlude: Ngunye – Street processions106Sang Hyang Dedari107Sang Hyang Jaran109Tabuh Rah – Cockfighting110Mesegeh agung - Small blood offering112Telek113Onying – Self-stabbing114Barong, Rangda115Calon Arang116The trance manifestation at Kesiman120ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS127COLOPHON 128In Between Heaven and Earth dancer/photographer Walther Tjon Pian Gi captures the astonishing world of Balinese sacred and ritual dance in a selection of his photographs, taken between 1978 and 2017.In Between Heaven and Earth Walther Tjon Pian Gi captures the astonishing world of Balinese sacred and ritual dance in a selection of his photographs, taken between 1978 and 2017. As a dancer-performer himself, he stresses in his photos the underlying feeling rather than the pictorial values of the dance. Having danced at temple festivals and house ceremonies in Bali, he understands the specific function of these performances during the rituals - for living people, for the souls of the deceased, for the gods and for the evil spirits - the essence of which he conveys in this very personal and searching book. Ritual dances in Bali are primarily performed for the gods, who sometimes even descend from the mountains into the body of the dancer. So it can happen that there are no spectators at all, except for the gods and deified ancestors. And, in this case, a dancer-photographer, who learned where to find these ceremonial dances and related sacred events.Since the book is a document that spans more than a generation, it also serves as a record of the development of ritual performance culture in Bali.