Dancing in thailand

Thai dance culture was already known in the early Thai states. In the villages of Thais, not a single holiday was held without performances with the participation of local dancers. In the royal palace was a whole theater with actors and dancers daily entertaining the royal family. So the “Khon” dance ( Thai. โขน ) was traditionally performed in the royal court by masked people, accompanied by narrators and a traditional Piphat ensemble. Dance traditions have not changed much by now, they use the same technique as before. Dancers began to learn from childhood. A few months and they put the correct setting of the fingers, toes, etc. ^[1] .

Thais pay special attention to dance costumes. Sew them from Thai silk, embroider with multi-colored threads. Headdresses of dancers were covered with a special composition with gold leaf and imitation of precious stones.

Khon mask theater and other classic Siamese dances appeared in the kingdom of Ayutthaya. Khon was the oldest theater genre in the country. At first, the Khon dance was performed only at the royal court. The troupe of the theater consisted only of men. Men also performed female roles. There was a female version of Khon - khon phu ying (Thai: โขน ผู้หญิง). To date, women are also working at the Khon Theater ^[2] .

During the performance, theater actors do not pronounce the text, they read it behind the scenes. The performance is accompanied by an orchestra playing and singing. All gestures and movement of actors have a symbolic meaning. Excerpts from Ramakien are played on stage ^[3] . At first, the Khon Royal Theater troupe performed outdoors without scenery. But by the middle of the XIX century, scenery, stage decorations appeared, and performances were given in the palace ^[4] .

In 1687, the French diplomat La Loubère wrote down everything he saw in the Kingdom of Siam. La Loubère described in great detail and Thai performances. Modern Thai dance is divided into two categories: classical dance and folk dance .

Modern Thai classical dance is divided into Khon, Lajon and background.

• Khon refers to the stylized form of Thai dance. Silent dancers perform it. The text is read by reciters behind the scenes. Choreography follows traditional forms. Most Khon dance performances feature episodes from Ramakien . Costumes are also traditional; participants wear colored masks. Khon Theater Development in Thailand is the National Theater.
• Lakhon has a wider plot spectrum, including folk tales and stories of Jataka. The dance is usually performed by women in groups. There are no individual characters ^[5] .

• Fon ( Thai. ฟ้อน is a form of folk dance accompanied by folk music. The first von dance originated in the northern region of Thailand. It was designed and taught by Zhao Dararasami from Chiang Mai. Since then many in Thailand have performed many varieties of dance with regional variations in music and choreography.

Thai background is divided into three main varieties:

• Background lep (dance for nails): Northern Thai dance style. Each dancer wears six-inch brass nails. Long nails emphasize the movement of each finger of each dancer. Dancers wear their hair with a yellow jasmine flower.
• Fountain (candle dance): eight dancers take part in the dance, each of whom carries candles. Dancers move in pairs, one pair on each side. The dance is always performed at night.

• Von Ngu (scarf dance): A dance performed at happy holidays. It looks like a background lep, but faster and more fun. Each dancer wears a yellow tiara flower.

Thai folk dance includes likay dance forms, numerous regional dances, a ram muay ritual dance, and tribute to the wai khru teacher. The last two dances are often performed before all traditional Thai matches. The wai khru dance is an annual ceremony held by Thai classical dance groups to honor their artistic ancestors. Initially, the actors of the troupe performing the “likay” dance were men, but now men and women are dancing together.

Popular folk dances also include:

• Ramwong ( Thai. รำวง ) - dance with a partner in a circle.
• Ram Muay is a ritual dance performed before kickboxing matches in Southeast Asia.

Central Thailand's regional dances : Sri Nuan, Drum Dance, Farmers Dance, Battle with Short and Long Sticks and Swords; Northeast Thailand: “Serng Kratip Khoa”, “Serng Isan”, “Serng Krapo”; Southern Thailand: Nora Tua Oon, Ram taeng Kae, Ram Nora Klong Hong, etc.

• Sri Nuan is a typical dance of central Thailand . His popularity is due to his choreography and the music that accompanies him. Dance expression of the desire of a young man to conquer girls.
• Teut-teung (drum dance) - performed on traditional holidays.
• Farmers Dance is a modern dance created by the Thai Ministry of Culture.
• The battle with short and long sticks and swords is a dance inspired by Thai wrestling that used sticks or swords.
• Serng Kratip Khoa dance is performed during traditional festivals. As a rule, the word "serng" is added to the name of the subject with which the dance is performed. So in Serng Kratip dance, dancers use kratip rice baskets. The dance imitates the movements of women, bringing men working in the fields food.
• Serng Isan is a folk dance, usually performed at traditional festivals.
• Rabam Srivichai - Rabam Sevichai - dance of the south of Thailand, refers to the so-called "Thai archaeological dance." Represents the kingdom of Sri Vijay, the Buddhist naval empire of the 8th-13th centuries, which covered the current territory of Indonesia, Malaysia and southern Thailand. Choreography and dance costumes are based on images of artifacts from the Sri Vijaya period. The musical melody is written in the Javanese style. Dance movements, poses and positions are based on classical Javanese dance ^[6] .

• Khon Mask Theater

• Thailand folk dances
• Khon Masks of Thailand
• Khon, classic theater and dance
• Archival footage of PillowTalk: Thailand's Traditions Today at Jacob's Pillow, 7/15/2010
• Patravadi Theater presents Chalawan The Likay Musical .
• Thai dance art
• 4 Provinces of Thai Dance
• Banramthai website (Thai )