The roots of Balinese dance are trance ritual and the Javanese theatrical forms known as wayang. Various performances take place at religious ceremonies, often late at night and several hours long. Shorter versions are put on for visitors in more convenient circumstances. Wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre) uses flat leather puppets which cast shadows on a screen. The puppet master manipulates the puppets with sticks.
Various forms of dance and drama can be seen at the annual Bali Arts Festival. Some tell a story; some are non-representational. New genres such as sendratari often contain elements of older traditions. Sendratari was devised in the 1960s as an art form without ritual function. The name is a contraction of the words for “art”, “drama”, and “dance”. Besides that, there is also Arja. Arja is a dance-opera in which choreography, music, costume and singing styles are strictly defined for twelve core character roles. While, the oleg tambulilingan, a dance created in the 1950s, is performed to the accompaniment of the Gong Kebyar gamelan orchestra. Bali evolved its own style of the Javanese wayang kulit puppet theatre and wayang wong masked dance drama. Both are vehicles for the Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. In topeng, the performer changes masks and costumes to show different characters.
Ritual-based performances range from dances performed for temple deities to complex dramas. They often contain elements of trance. Even trance dances for visitors require ritual offerings. For example Baris Gede and Kecak. Baris gede is an old ritual dance performed by a regiment of soldiers to protect the deities. Meanwhile, the famous ritual dance in Bali, Kecak, is based on a sanghyang (trance) chorus formerly used in times of epidemic.