Bali's culture is based on a form of Hinduism called "Hindu Darma". There are ceremonies to celebrate every stage of life. With these ceremonise come a whole range or arts, ranging from hand weaving to dance. All of these are learnt by the Balinese at a very young age.
Bali is the one place in the world where the "global village" has not diluted the culture.
The Gamelan is the central instrument in Balinese music and traditional orchestras are called 'Gamelan orchestras' that are pretty much percussion based. You'll hear this music in the arrivals hall at the airport and at first it sounds rather uncoordinated with a 'glong glong glong' type of sound.
The Kechak is the best known of the traditional Balinese dances and does not feature the gamelan. A male choir provides the accompaniment. The dance itself is expresses mythological aspects, local traditions and the Hindu Ramayana poem. The dance tells the story of how King Rama was persecuted by the ogre king, Rahwana forms an alliance with the monkey people of the forest to overcome his enemy. Dances last an hour and feature about a hundred dancers
