The Indonesian dancers, dressed in resplendent red and gold silks, swayed in rhythm to the beating drums and the piercing wail of woodwind instruments. Pointing a dagger to their throats, they jumped, stomped and knelt down. Then, in the climax of the ritual, they twisted the blades into their necks again and again. A man in the audience recoiled. But the dancers did not bleed. This illusion of invincibility reflected the mysticism associated with the dancers.