Greetings from Bali, where a kecak dance shows the triumph of good over evil

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world. The kecak dance is a 20th century adaptation of the trance-inducing Hindu ceremonies performed in Bali and a retelling of one of the stories in the Ramayana , the Hindu epic poem. It uses no instruments; instead, about three dozen men chant in syncopated rhythm, the rise and fall of their intertwining voices creating the soundscape for the drama. …