These are over 200 different kinds of dance, many still religious, and each is a composite of not only dance, but also of drama, music, spoken, poetry, ballet. Here are some of the more popular. Legong Dance Considered the most dazzling of all Balinese dance-ballets. Swathed in cocoons of gold plaited fabrics, these dancers perform an interpretation of literary classic. A pair of 8-12 year old girls are chosen for their natural good looks and for their physiques. If they can be found to look alike, all the better. They are chosen before they begin menstruation because only then are they considered pure and limber enough to perform all the necessary movements. Training begins at 4 or 5, they retire at about age 13. Legong dances were once a Balinese prince’s private property. Extraordinary muscular control and great physical endurance is required in this dance. Dancers are first dressed in gorgeous costumers: head to toe in silk and goldleaf with a headdress of frangipani an...