Held at the outdoor theatre just west of the main Prambanan temple complex, the famous Ramayana Ballet is Java’s most spectacular dance-drama troupe. The story of Rama and Sita takes place three nights a week; from May to October it is performed on the open-air stage (weather permitting), while other times it's held indoors.
With the magnificent floodlit Candi Shiva Mahadeva as a backdrop, nearly 200 dancers and gamelan (traditional Javanese and Balinese orchestra) musicians take part in a spectacle of monkey armies, giants on stilts, clashing battles and acrobatics.
Tickets are sold in Yogyakarta through the tourist information office and agencies dotted around tourist districts. It is also possible to buy them at the same price from the theatre box office. A taxi from Yogya costs 450,000Rp for the return journey and waiting time.