CACI DANCE

The Caci Dance of Manggarai is not just a cultural dance; it is a traditional whip ght that involves actual whips, shields, masks and sticks and actual blood between the adversaries. Competition is usually between two male ghters from separate villages and performed frequently during Penti, a festival which is held after the harvest to end the old agricultural year and accompanied by drums and gong music. Other occasions for Caci performances included marriage, birth and funeral ceremonies. Visitors can witness a Caci Dance in the village of Todo and Melo, located on the Trans ores Highway about 20 km on the road from Labuan Bajo to Ruteng.