Bali’s Leak and Rangda Traditions in Contemporary Performance

Record summary

Balinese traditions concerning leak sorcery, Rangda, Barong, and the Calon Arang cycle remain visible in ritual performance, temple festivals, tourism, and debates about spiritual danger. Contemporary research can compare narratives of transformation, protective ritual, possession, theatrical embodiment, and the circulation of esoteric knowledge. The traditions have multiple local and historical forms, and stage performances are not interchangeable with temple rites or accusations of sorcery. The lead should therefore be investigated through Balinese-language, Indonesian, and anthropological sources rather than treated as a single standardized occult system.