Dance in Thailand

Dance in Thailand (Thai: นาฏศิลป์, pronounced [nāːt.tà.sǐn] or Thai: นาฏกรรม, pronounced [nāːt.tà.kām]) is the main dramatic art form in Thailand. Thai dance can be divided into two major categories, high art (classical dance) and low art (folk dance).
The Dance in Thailand designated in Thai term natasin (Thai: นาฏศิลป์) means "art of the classical Thai dance, art of drama." and the term natakam (Thai: นาฏกรรม) means "poetry, music drama and dance," according to The Thai Official Dictionary of Royal Institute 2545 BE. Both terms derived from Sanskrit words: naṭa (Sanskrit: नाट) → nata, means "dancing, acting, a dance," the word śilpa (Sanskrit: शिल्प) → sin, means "artistic work," and the word karma (Sanskrit: कर्म) → kama, respectively.
The term for dance in Thai, also known as the Dance of the Four Regions, is as follows:
When the words ten and ram combine to form tenram, it refers to "ballroom dance." These terms adopted simultaneously since 1321 AD in reign of King Maha Thammaracha I same as the term fon. The adoption of three terms are various Thai Traditional Dance e.g. Ram Baht Sakunee, Ten Kam Ram Kiew, etc.
The term drama in Thai word such as khon derived from Tamil word: kōṉ (Tamil: கோன்) → khon, means "king and god, a king, a ruler" as well as Bengali and Iranian word. It is also to be identical with the terms kan, khan or khasan in Turko-Mongolian languages. The Thai term khon is adopted particularly for the Ramakien Thai version from the Indian epic Ramayana.
The Thai term lakon (also spelt: lakorn, lakhon) is derived from Javanese word lakon (Javanese: ꦭꦏꦺꦴꦤ꧀), a derivation of lakuan, lagon and laku, means "to walk, to act, to run". According to Thai historian Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, it is hypothesized that the term lakon originated from the name of Nakhon Si Thammarat—the Javanese culture during the Ayutthaya period, where the dance and drama were first introduced.
Thai dance originated from the culture of the ancient Tamils—Kumeru people in southern India thousands of years ago, which modeled the Natya Shastra’s 108 puppets from the Tandava sculpture in the Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram to worship the Nataraja.
Archaeological evidences that have been discovered and related to the origin of Thai dance, such as stuccos and sculptures dating back to 6th–11th century in Dvaravati era, were discovered at the following archaeological sites, Khok Mai Den and Chansen archaeological sites in Nakhon Sawan, Ban Khu Bua archaeological site in Ratchaburi, and Prasat Phimai in Nakhon Ratchasima, in the late Dvaravati era; all of these are dance pose models that have been influenced mainly by Indian culture.
As time passed, Thai dance was developed until the identity of the original dance was erased until it became a unique identity of Thai dance. Even cultures, musical instruments, and songs from India, China, Malay, Mon, Khmer, Khom minorities in the Chao Phraya River Basin, and Myanmar, when they came to have influence, were all improved and evolved until they became exquisitely Thai in a way that was different from other nations.
From 748, the Tai state of Nanzhao had a martial art of dance called Fon Joeng. It is an art of various movements of Thai dance for the belief ceremonies of the northern Thai people and is a martial art for self-defense to show the style of fighting both offensive and defensive. The Fon Joeng has many kinds of drum rhythms and has been passed down from the Nanzhao Period to the Ngoenyang, Lanna, and Sukhothai periods, respectively. Fon Joeng still exists in the present as a recreational dance and one part of the history of Muay Thai.
Archaeological evidence of Thai dance in the Sukhothai period shows that it already existed. However, there is no clear evidence that Thai dance was performed as a story but rather as local folk entertainment, such as the entertainment during the Kaṭhina festival, as stated in King Ramkhamhaeng's inscription.
The Ram Khamhaeng Inscription broadly mentioned Thai dance, in which singing and dancing in any form could be performed freely in the royal processions. When the Thai people of Sukhothai got involved with some tribes with Indian cultural influences, such as the Mon, and Khom ethnic minorities of the Chao Phraya River basin, Thai dance began to appear as having a structured form of story performance.
The Sumon Kut Inscription No. 8, aged 1360, also mentioned Thai dance called Ram (to dance; general word for dance), Rabam (to dance; short choreographed non-narrative dance pieces), Ten (to dance), and Len (to play), along with musical instruments, the same as mentioned in the Sukhothai literature, Traibhumikatha (composed in 1345). Although those inscriptions and the literature do not clearly state what kind of dance it is, these evidences show that Thais were well familiar with singing, playing, and dancing in the Sukhothai period at that time.
Although there is a theory that the term rabam (to dance) has its roots in the Khmer, the term ram (to dance) also has its roots in the Northern-Tai. Hence, there is unclear archaeological evidence that the Thais in the Sukhothai kingdom were influenced by the Khmer dances of the Angkor period; in fact, in the Sukhothai period of the 13th–14th centuries, the Thais assertively rejected the authority of the Khmer empire.
Ayutthaya was a pre-existing city and home of Mon and later Siamese that aged older than the Sukhothai kingdom, prior to the establishment of the Ayutthaya Kingdom.
Thai dance in the Ayutthaya period was influenced heavily by Indian cultures different from the Sukhothai period due to its being home to various ethnic groups. Simon de la Loubère recorded the society of Ayutthaya in his famous work, Du royaume de Siam, that there were forty different ethnic groups. The Moors alone have as many as 10 ethnic groups. Nicolas Gervaise [fr] also said more than one third of the Ayutthaya residents are foreigners; even the Palace Law Chulasakarat 720 (enacted in 1358) of the Ayutthaya royal court mentioned Indian, Khmer, Lao, Khom minorities in the Chao Phraya River basin, Burmese, HMong, Mon, Muslims, Jang, Chinese, Chams, Javanese, and all other ethnics.
According to the Ayutthaya Royal Palace Law, under the entertainment chapter, stated that there were len, ram, rabam, ra-beng, kulati-mai, and Nang yai. Simon de la Loubère also mentioned three types of performances: dance (rabam), drama (lakhon), and masked drama-dance (khon).
There are three genres of drama-dance: Lakhon chatri, Lakhon nok, and Lakhon nai, of which Lakhon chatri is the oldest form of Thai dance and closely related to the Menora. Ram and Rabam are forms of dance that have existed since the Sukhothai period, as appears in various Sukhothai inscriptions and literature. The Khon in the Ayutthaya period originated around the 11th century CE, which is modeled heavily on the Hindu epic, Ramayana, to the Thai version, Ramakien (Glory of Rama).
Thai dance was later mixed with the Khmer culture after Ayutthaya sacked the Angkor Thom in 1431 in the reign of King Borommarachathirat II, which integrated an influx of Khmer cultures—Hinduism−influenced into the Siamese court. In time passed, Thai dance in this period was created by combining various dance forms until it improved into Ayutthaya Royal Court dance. When considering the social context of that period, Thai dance in the Ayutthaya period is considered to be the main culture among ethnic diversity. The Khmer culture of Angkor Thom was completely lost after Ayutthaya annexed Sukhothai in 1438 as a result.
According to Surapone Virulrak, Thai performance art took shape during the Ayutthaya period. At this time, Chak nak Dukdamban, a "ceremony depicting the churning of the ocean to create the immortal spirit", was performed on special occasions. This ceremony drew from the Indian epic of the Mahābhārata. Virulrak states, "These performing arts were gradually developed into Khon (masked play), lakhon nok (public dance drama) and lakhon nai (court dance drama) during the Late Ayutthaya Period (1456-1767)", adding, "this period also enjoyed various imported performing arts from neighbouring countries." According to Paul Cravath, this ceremony performed by Khmer dancers is also depicted in bas-reliefs at Angkor Wat in Cambodia and could have been the forefather of Khon.
Aside from folk and regional dances (such as southern Thailand's Indian-influenced Manora dance), the two major forms of Thai classical dance drama are Khon and lakhon nai. In the beginning, both were exclusively court entertainments and it was not until much later that a popular style of dance theatre, likay, evolved as a diversion for the common folk who had no access to royal performances.
When considering historical evidence and various archaeological studies, together with the consideration of dance postures in the works of Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, The Dance Manual, it is found that Ayutthaya drama originated from Manora, which were popular in southern Ayutthaya. In particular, the Lakhon Chatri, which was influenced by Indian and Javanese cultures, was the origin in the South. It was later classified as the Lakhon Nok and the Lakhon Nai. Even the term lakhon was borrowed from the Javanese, Lakon, (Javanese: ꦭꦏꦺꦴꦤ꧀, romanized: lakon) perhaps the Malay, lakhan.
Evidence showing that Srivijaya culture spread from the Malay Peninsula to Chaiya (modern Nakhon Si Thammarat) and other regions, including the story of Inao (Thai version from Panji tales), Nang yai, and Likay into Ayutthaya from the southern region, is the Borobudur, built in the 9th century CE in the Srivijaya period.
Since the Ayutthaya period, Thai dance evolved after being mixed with multiple cultures of the northern (Sukhothai) and southern (Chaiya) cities, the Khmer of Angkor Thom, and many local ethnic diversity; it evolved and improved both dance, drama, and Khon throughout the period to be more refined and beautiful until it became a unique culture of the Ayutthaya royal court, including traditions, local amusements, and even costumes. The clothing and accessories of Thai dance in the Ayutthaya period flourished greatly during the reign of King Borommakot. Many literary works and plays related to dance were created, such as Ramakien, Inao, and other dances outside and inside the royal court.
In 1768, after the second fall of Ayutthaya, many Siamese actors and actresses for the Lakhon Nai drama disappeared. Most drama and the ramakien works were all lost in abundance when the Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burmese in 1767. Some fled to cities that were not lost to the Burmese troops, e.g., Phitsanulok and Nakhon Sri Thammarat, while others were rounded up and taken to Myanmar. However, the Lakhon Nok that was widely performed outside the Ayutthaya court still remains in large numbers. There are still Siamese people who have witnessed Lakhon Nai drama in the Ayutthaya royal court, such as Princess Pinthawadi, the daughter of King Borommakot, who lived until the Rattanakosin period and was the one who transmitted ancient customs and royal ceremonies to the Rattanakosin royal courts.
Hence, ramakien and khon in the Rattanakosin era were reproduced by King Rama I from the Ramayana versions of Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali, which are not the same version of Ayutthaya.
In 1958 King Norodom Sihanouk explained the Thai dance costume, which mentioned in Ayutthaya period, to Malcolm John MacDonald, former Commissioner-General for Southeast Asia, that the Thais' idea of costume was different from that of the Khmers. Moreover, Thai court dance uniforms were gorgeous and, to their taste, infinitely superior to the flimsy simplicity of the Khmer corps de ballet, while the court of the ancient Khmer Empire dancers were lightly clad like the half-naked Apsara as sculptured friezes at Angkor Wat.
The first detailed European record of Khon and other Thai classical dances was made during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The tradition and styles employed are almost identical to the Thai traditions we still see today. Historical evidence establishes that the Thai art of stage plays was already perfected by the 17th-century. Louis XIV, the Sun King of France, had a formal diplomatic relation with Ayutthaya's King Narai. In 1687, France sent the diplomat Simon de la Loubère to record all that he saw in the Siamese Kingdom and its traditions. In his famous account Du Royaume de Siam, La Loubère carefully observed the classic 17th-century theatre of Siam, including an epic battle scene from a Khon performance, and recorded what he saw in great detail:
Of the attires of Siamese Khon dancers, La Loubère recorded that: "[T]hose that dance in Rabam, and Cone, have gilded high and pointed. It was introduced by Persian Lombok hat in King Naraya reign. but which hang down at the sides below their ears, which are adorned with counterfeit stones, and with two pendants of gilded wood."
La Loubère also observed the existence of muay Thai and muay Lao, noting that they looked similar (i.e., using both fists and elbows to fight), but the hand-wrapping techniques were different.
The accomplishment and influence of Thai art and culture, developed during the Ayutthaya Period, on neighboring countries was evident in the observation of Captain James Low a British scholar of Southeast Asia, during the early Rattanakosin Era:
In 1768–81, Thai dance was greatly revived by King Taksin and Thais. There was evidence that there are still performances of Lakhon Nai and Lakhon Nok, both actors and actresses, in the capital and outside major cities, such as Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai, Fang or Sawangkhaburi (now Utaradit), and Phitsanulok during Taksin's reunification of Siam. There also were collections of dramatic compositions composed during the Ayutthaya period—more than 10 stories.
In 1769, in the early period after the establishment of Thonburi Kingdom, King Taksin gathered many scattered actors and actresses. There were actors from Nakhon Si Thammarat sent by the governor of Pattani to King Taksin, and a Thai dance performance was organized at that time on the occasion of the consecration of the Buddha's relics at Wat Phra Mahathat in Nakhon Si Thammarat. When King Taksin led his army to siege the assembly of Chao Phra Fang, he organized a Thai dance performance in Fang and Phitsanulok to celebrate the cities after his victory.
Prince Damrong Rajanubhap stated that the actors and actresses of Nakhon Si Thammarat were members of the Lakhon Nai who had fled from Ayutthaya.
Throughout the reign of King Taksin, he composed five additional episodes (Four Folding-book manuscripts in total) of the Thai version, Ramakien. He ordered the establishment of several royal drama theaters for training. There were performances of the Khon, Ramakien, Inao, and royal drama competitions in the Emerald Buddha celebration in 1782 near the end of the reign.
Meanwhile, at the Burmese royal court, the royal family members of the Ayutthaya court and Thais who were taken to Burma brought the Thai dance to the Burmese court, resulting in Burmese dance being greatly influenced by the Ayutthaya. However, it was an opportunity to be able to revive Thai dance during the Thonburi period until the Rattanakosin period because Thai dance can be traced back to the Thai-Burmese multiculturalism in another way.
Lakhon features a wider range of stories than Khon, including folk tales and Jataka stories. Dancers are usually female who play both male and female roles and perform as a group rather than representing individual characters. Lakhon draws inspiration primarily from the Ramakien (Thai adaptation of Hindu epic Ramayana). Percussion instruments and piphat, a type of woodwind, accompany the dance. Thai literature and drama draw great inspiration from Indian arts and legends.
Khon is the most stylized form of Thai dance. It is performed by troupes of non-speaking dancers, the story being told by a chorus at the side of the stage. Choreography follows traditional models rather than attempting to innovate. Most Khon performances feature episodes from the Ramakien. Costumes are dictated by tradition, with angels, both good and bad, wearing colored masks.
Fon (Thai: ฟ้อน; RTGS: fon) is a form of folk dance accompanied by the folk music of the region. The first fon originated in the northern region of Thailand. It was designed and taught by Chao Dararasami of Chiang Mai. Since then, a variety of fon came into practice, featuring the music and style of each province, such as the fon lep (Thai: ฟ้อนเล็บ; RTGS: fon lep) fingernail dance from Chiang Mai and the fon ngiew from Chiang Rai, which was influenced by Burmese music and costume.
Fon is divided into three types:
The two golden periods of Burmese literature were the direct consequences of the Thai literary influence. The first transmission happened during the two-decade period (1564–83), in which the Toungoo Dynasty briefly managed to subject Siam as its vassal state. This conquest incorporated many Thai elements into Burmese literature. the most evident ones were the yadu or yatu (ရာတု), an emotional and philosophic verse and the yagan (ရာကန်) genre. The next transmission of Thai literary influence to Burma happened in the aftermath of the fall of Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1767. After the second conquest of Ayutthaya (Thailand), many Siamese royal dancers and poets were brought back to the court of Konbaung. Ramakien, the Thai version of Ramayana (ရာမယန), was introduced and was adapted in Burmese where it is now called Yama Zatdaw. Burmese literature during this period was therefore modelled after the Ramayana, and dramatic plays were patronised by the Burmese court.
Following the collapse of the Khmer Empire in the 15th century, Cambodian dance and music incorporated influence from Thailand and Vietnam. The earliest mention of Classical Cambodia dance appeared in the 17th century CE in a Sanskrit inscription. In the Khmer empire (802–1431 AD), their court performers style was very sensual during Khmer rule, complete with swinging hips and bare breasts.
After the Siamese herded thousands of people from Angkor Wat to the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1421. It resulted in a cultural fusion between these two kingdoms. Thais claim that the Siamese Royal Ballet is an adaptation of Thai ballet, and Cambodians claim that it was based on the ancient Angkor ballet as it was before the Ayutthaya Kingdoms sacked the Angkor Wat. Meanwhile, after the second fall of Ayutthaya in the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767), almost all of the royal court dances of the Ayutthaya period were completely lost. From the Thonburi and Rattanakosin eras, a lot of Siamese verses and dramatic compositions were reproduced and recomposed again in the period of King Taksin and King Rama I. On the contrary, the ancient Khmer dance disappeared almost four centuries ago and was reintroduced only by the Siamese from the Rattanakosin era with Siamese chorus, Siamese postures, and Siamese troupe. Therefore, the Cambodian Royal Ballet these days is so strongly infused with Siamese influences.
In 19th century, the Khmer court dance began to be restored by Thai dancers led by Saweewath Pramoj and, under the patronage of King Ang Duong, who came to the throne in 1841, retaining many of Thai-acquired elements more elaborate and heavy costumes than had been traditional Khmer court dance. The King is known to had taken refuge in the court of Siam which influenced his decision to set a new standardization for his own court dance, following the styles and manners of Thai classical dance. The modern costumes and crowns used by the Royal Ballet of Cambodia are also elaborately clothed showing an unmistakable Siamese influence which is different from the bas-reliefs on the Angkor Wat that portray the scenes of ritual and life of the ancient Khmer ballerinas that were half-naked apsaras and nude dancers performing a sort of grand battement.
In 1860–1904, although Cambodia was colonized by France, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia still performed Siamese repertoires due to King Norodom of Cambodia (Ang Voddey) generally importing his dancing girls and concubines aged 13 to 14 years old from Siam. The French scholars also recorded over 300 Siamese female artists remaining in the Cambodian royal court. Some of the songs, musical instruments, and plays had Thai names, and some of the lyrics were composed imitating a Thai style.
In 1868–1910, Aunt Chawiwat, also known as Princess Chawiwat Pramoj, daughter of Siamese Prince Vorachak Tharanubhab, took the Siamese Royal dance and Siamese troupe of Chao Chorm Manda Ampa [a high-ranking Siamese court lady], with all accessories, and the Siamese Piphat ensemble to court of the Norodom Palace in the Fifth Reign of King Rama V.
In Cambodia history—Le Royaume du Cambodge (1883) by Jean MOURA (1827–85), a French administrator, it is mentioned that Siamese females provided recruits of Siamese dancers to the ballet corps of King Norodon's palace:
Also, George Groslier (1987–1945), a French civil servant who studied Cambodia's traditional dance art and had access to royal dancers and teachers connected to the king Sisowath’s court, wrote:
In 1952–57, the Cambodian government requested the Thai government to send Thai dance masters to help revive the Royal Ballet of Cambodia. There were six Thai dance masters, and a Siamese troupe went to Cambodia upon their request. However, after teaching for only a few times, Thai dance masters were banned by an official of the Fine Arts Department of Thailand.
In 1958, King Norodom Sihanouk propounded the theory of Cambodian performers' costumes to Malcolm MacDonald in that their dancer dresses remained an alien importation copied from the Thais. In the Legend of Inao drama, works of Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, recorded during the Siamese Invasion of Cambodia and Southern Vietnam (1833–1834), the Siamese nobleman, Chaophraya Bodindecha, brought the Siamese dance troupes to teach the Cambodian dancers at Oudong in the reign of King Ang Duong and recorded the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, which was first introduced by the Siamese Prince, Krom Luang Thepharirak.
During the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia was almost destroyed, and Princess Norodom Buppha Devi of Cambodia left for France urgently for years until she returned to Cambodia in 1991. Cambodian dance masters joined the princess to help re-establish the Cambodia dance.
On July 25, 2008. H.R.H. Princess Norodom Buppha Devi said of Khmer classical dance influenced a lot of by Thai court:-
Nevertheless, in Thailand, the main theory suggests the contrary. For instance, Fédéric Maurel, a French historian working for Prince of Songkla University (Thailand) notes:
The Nirat or Siamese tradition of parting poetry was emulated by Khmer poets, and many Thai stories, such as Ka Kee, were translated from the Siamese source into the Khmer language. One Thai study on comparative literature argues that Cambodia's current version of Ramayana (Reamker) was translated directly from the Thai source, almost stanza by stanza. The Cambodian royal court used to stage Thai lakhon dramas in the Thai language during King Norodom of Cambodia's reign.
Folk dance forms include dance theater forms like likay, numerous regional dances (ram), the ritual dance ram muay, and homage to the teacher, wai khru. Both ram muay and wai khru take place before all traditional muay Thai matches. The wai is also an annual ceremony performed by Thai classical dance groups to honor their artistic ancestors.