Kecak dance in Uluwatu. One of the great things I did last year. Finally have time to go through my photos and look back. And forward too. It’s almost difficult to understand now, when I’m surrounded by snow and it’s -20 and windy in the longest and coldest winter in history, that I experienced this less than 5 months ago in the most beautiful sunset at Uluwatu Temple. A performance of Ramayana, a Hindu scripture which I love. More to come.
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I lived in Indonesia for a while in the 70s. What I remember most about the Kecak dance was the chanting — those voices, that pulsing beat, no other music. It was glorious.
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It sure is! It must have been even more mystical and amazing in Indonesia then. But it still is. I’m going back this year to Nyepi, and I want to see the ogoh ogoh in the parade. When I arrived in Bali when the pandemic restrictions were lifted I was in quarantine in Uluwatu and could only hear the ogoh ogoh to my room. This time I get to see it 🤞 and regarding the Kecak, I got some movies of the dancers warming up before the performance which I loved seeing. Also, seeing the performance in Uluwatu temple was very special, and being surrounded by the sea and a forest filled with monkeys 🐒
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Beautiful photo and dancer.
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Thanks 🙏 I love the expression of the dancers faces in the performance. Kecak is also called fire dance and even before I went to the performance I knew what I wanted to capture, and how I wanted to edit the photo. It’s just now I have had the time to do it 😉
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💛
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Thank you 🙏
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Is that character Sita ? Do you recollect ?
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I’m not sure, because there were two female dancers. Might have been Sita and her maid, but Hanuman was there and Ravana too 😉
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Now I done some more research and looked closer at the photo, it’s actually The Golden Deer, which is Maricha, who is sent out by Ravana to lure Sita so Ravana could kidnap her. You can see the horns on the dancers head and she’s dancing opposite Sita who has her back against my camera. A very late reply but I submitted the photo to LensCultures portrait awards and edited the photo again. 🙏
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Awesome to see your topic about the Kecak dance in Uluwatu 🕺💃😄😮.
It’s great that you got to go through your photos and look back at this very cultural occasion, especially as you are in an entirely different time and environment right now where, you can’t help but remember the marvelous dance and dramatization of the Ramayana Hindu scripture at that historic temple, which was graced by a lovely sunset, live and in person 👌👏😹
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It was absolutely great! Haven’t had time to look through half of the photos I took in Bali but hoping for more time soon 🤞 I’m a one woman show you know 🙄 designing product for my web shop and taking seminars too!
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Yup, you are a one-woman show indeed 💯👌☺️. You have alot of things happening, and you are not just concerned about now, you are also doing things for your future. But I know when the time comes again, it will feel so good looking back through those Bali photos ✌️😹😁🥰
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Yes, the photos are not just for remembering 😉 I use them in my business too, making products! 👙
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Hahaha, it’s interesting that you used the swimsuit emoji👍😹. But yes, your photos in a variety of creative ways, and all of those things mentioned takes time, so hopefully you get the time you are hoping for! 😘😘
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Hope so too! Ordered sample products today to check how the prints turn out. Last time I did it, they were amazing!
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Awesome and I am happy for you; let me know how it went ✌️😄✌️
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I’ll probably let everyone know 😹 product launch, you know 😉
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Ooooo ahhhhhhh — I feel happy to get the scoop before the impending prestigious product drop 👌😂
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Marketing 🥳
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Yes you are the chief marketing mogul 🤝😹😁
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I’m the one-woman-show 📽️
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Yup, you are a real [independent] woman 💯😄😃
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Trying to 😉
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Totally get that. keep trying hun, and we will salute you on the other side of #prosperity 🫡😹👋👋
I hope the sample products situation, that you told me about on the 27th, worked out 👍👍
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My sample products are beautiful ♥️ the prints turned out great and the fabric is great too! I’ll try how my yoga capris perform during my yoga practice soon to 😉 🧘♀️
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Hahahaa sweet; congratulations! ♥️
It’s awesome that you are developing your own yoga line of products 👍😆
I bet you’ll make everybody start doing Yoga when you put on your yoga capris for yoga practice — you go girl! 😹👏👏.
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Yes, hope so 🧘♀️ when I started practicing yoga years ago I came to the conclusion that the world would be a better place if everybody was practicing yoga. There’s a swimwear line in my product catalog too 😉 of course!
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I am glad that you are still doing Yoga and that you are also designing and creating things to support it, that will also make it more fun and interesting for other people to practice and enjoy, plus also be made aware that you are a Photographer and business woman 👌👌😂.
Massive respect and kudos to you for also creating your own swimwear products, which you di hint to me in your other comment with the swimsuit emoji 💙😹😁
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Yes 🙌 it finally feels like things are coming together, it’s taken some time 😉 thanks for your supportive comments 🙏
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You are welcome 💌🤗🤗.
Absolutely, finally you are at a place where it feels like all of your hard work is finally paying off, and it is very exciting! 🤟😹.
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Yup, any day … or week now 🤞
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That’s marvelous, I hope so too ✌️😄
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Me too! Just looked into Woo again … there’s an annoying banner that covers half of the mock up store theme, so I can’t even look at the demo 🙄😹 would be convenient to have everything in one place but …
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Hahaha oh no 🤭😄, that is not good; I don’t know why it would do that in the demo 🤔🤔.
It would be great if you can proceed with the ideas that you originally have in mind, but hopefully your “plan b” works out 👍😹😹
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It would be great 🙌 not putting my plans into categories tho, they’re just … plans … My guru, Pattabhi Jois, always said “don’t make plans” I didn’t understand it then but might have a hunch now. It’s just “go with the flow” – in my opinion – and flow is a big part of ashtanga yoga as there are transitions between each asana. Those transitions are very fluid, like waves crashing into the beach, like flow. On another side note, I practiced some of those transitions, which are called vinyasas, in the water on a beach in Goa. So going with the flow 😉 🌊🧘♀️
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Good to hear what you have to say ✔️💯☺️☺️.
I definitely agree that you shouldn’t really worry about doing alot of planning if you are just in the mood to do leisurely things. Of course consideration has to be given to the fact that, otherwise, you are entrepreneurial, and you are looking to start and run your own business, and create your own products, so in that area, planning and organization is a very wise things to do 👍😄. But otherwise, it wouldn’t be necessary to plan and it’s probably best to go with how you feel and go with the flow like you were saying 🤟🤭😄.
I also had no idea that Yoga existed until you brought it up LOL. It’s like you have given me a crash course about it that I am thankful for, and I love how you compared the fluid transitions to waves crashing into the beach 🌊🏖️😄👍. I applaud you for going with the flow and practicing the yoga vinyasas. Doing so at the Goa beach sound like alot of fun — keep going with the flow 🫶😹😍
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Going with the flow 😉 looking out for currents and debris scattered in the sea! Yes, I know the general direction as to where I’m heading with my shop and everything but keeping an open mind to other possibilities too! 📷 and I’m hopefully going to enjoy the weekend too 🤞 hope you have a nice weekend too! Maybe try yoga 😉
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Exactly 💯💯, going with the flow doesn’t mean you have to throw caution out of the window, and it’s the same thing with doing business stuff. You can be open minded, that was never in question and I love that you are open minded, I realized that about you without you even having to say anything about it, but there is nothing wrong with planning in situations where it’s appropriate; this doesn’t mean that there can’t be “a change in plans” and that you absolutely have to stick with doing things how you started or intended — my thing about the planning was just a sidenote 💙😆🙂.
But in general, there are many times where it’s not neccessary to plan, especially in situations where you are free to do whatever you want and how you prefer to👍☺️☺️.
Thank you so much for hoping that I have a nice weekend 💌😇🙏🙏; I hope that you beautifully enjoy yours too 🤗🥰. Yoga is interesting 😃😄; I thought it was a mostly female activity but if it isn’t, I would try 🤟😹😹
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Had a lovely weekend, photographed a swimming competition while it was -25 outside and the water was freezing between the heats 🥶 I’ll show you later. And yoga is definitely a “mostly female” activity. It is thought to be created so that Brahmin boys would be able to sit and meditate after practicing yoga 🧘♂️ remember, yoga comes from India where women were treated differently.
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Glad to hear what the weekend was like for you👍👍😆.
Photographing a fast-paced swimming competition in -25 weather and freezing water takes incredible endurance 🥶, and I am happy that you were able to pull that off lol.
I appreciate that you would like to show me more about this and thanks for filling-me in about Yoga and some of its history 🧘♂️🧘♀️. I have learned something new ✌️✌️😄💙
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Well, here it is! My post and photos of swimming in the north of Sweden when the water was freezing but the sun was out ☀️
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Thanks, I read your lovey post and commented. I loved the pictures — it looks like a fun time, on a very cold but beautiful day ✌️😆💌
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Thanks, winter swimming sure looks like fun!
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It must be 😉🥶🏊
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Just like the Kecak dance 🤭🤣😁
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It’s one of the country on my bucket list read so much about Indonesia 🇮🇩 and it’s time for a visit
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It definitely is time for a visit! Your website seems very helpful for visiting Africa, a continent I’m getting more and more curious about! I’ve only visited Morocco and there is so much more.
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There are so many countries worth visiting with great history and fascinating life … you just can’t miss …
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The world is an amazing place! So much to see, hope there’s enough time 🌍
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We hope things go well as we live up to enjoy traveling and visiting new places once again ….🤩💛
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New places, and old familiar places too!
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🤩💛
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👌💛
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Bali is always a favourite. It’s my dream to return and stay longer, to envelope myself in the spirituality of this place. Bali is a mood, a moment.
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Bali definitely is! I’m very much looking forward to spending Nyepi there, I’ve been there before Nyepi and seen the statues for the Ogoh Ogoh parade being made, and last time I participated in Silent Day in my hotel room but never been part of it. So, hoping for this year 🙏
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Nice post ✍️
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Thanks! It was a great experience.
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Beautiful
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Thank you 🙏 it is a very special place and a special performance of the Ramayana.
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Your post made me think I too need to make time to look back over my photos I have taken in the past couple of years, organise them and label them. Thanks Helena, I love the energy displayed in your photograph of Kecak dance.
Best Wishes
Kevin
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Thanks 🙏 yes, organizing your photos is important, in this digital age things like photos get lost. And then, something that helps you remember great times and people get lost too. I remember when Apple changed from their previous photo app to their current one, all my photos from ten years got lost. No fun! Now I back up my photos but with all the apps on my phone some still get lost 😉 so, organize and back up!
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You can’t imagine how grateful I am because of your comment about peace on my f.b.post!!Unbelievable how hard is to collect simple,idiot words for some so important like peace in the world.
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💯
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🙏
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That’s a beautiful capture 🥰😊 I’ve never been to Bali, but hope to visit one day when our youngest one is a wee bit older 🥰😊 thanks for sharing and have a good day 😊 Aiva xx
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Thanks 🙏 it’s a beautiful place. I’m in Bali right now. And I read an article in a Swedish travel magazine, Vagabond, about a couple who traveled with their 8 month old. So, it is possible to travel here with young children too.
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Yes, of course, it’s very much possible. We travelled lots with our firstborn, by the time she was two years old, she’d been to 11 countries, many of them multiple times, but now with another baby in tow, we are sticking closer to home and going on camping/surfing trips to nearby Scotland and the Uk 🥰🥰🥰
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Oh, I can imagine it’s a bit difficult travelling with two children. Sometimes I can’t even keep track of myself 😉 hope you get to visit Bali soonish 🤞
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🥰🥰🥰
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