This dance form has the special purpose of enlisting the help of the Gods in protecting the village from pestilence and danger. The word sanghyang means “deity” and performers of the sacred Sanghyang dances are said to be possessed by specific deities who enable them to perform supernatural feats. A chorus of men sing a hypnotic chant that summons the spirits, till each dancer falls into a swoon of trance. There are variety of Sanghyang dances, named according to the type of spirit they humour : Sanghyang Dedari, performed by young virgin girls go into trances on the shoulder of older men is a dance of angels. Sanghyang Jaran, a small number of men are put into trance, but their transition is much more violent they fall, convulsed, to the ground and rush to grab hobby horses. the pre-trance chanting, coconut shells have been lit, leaving red hot coals. The entranced dancers leap into the coals, prancing on top of them, picking up the hot pieces and bathing themselves in fire.
