Dance in Thailand
Dance in Thailand (, or , ) 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). Overview. The Thai terms for dance, รำ '"ram"'"," and ระบำ '"rabam"' derive from the Old Khmer words រាំ '"raṃ"' and របាំ "'rapaṃ"', respectively. There is an extended influence of ancient Khmer forms on Thai Classical dance and performance. This is due to the multitude of Khmer words relating to dance, music and performance, along with the similarities found between the gestures of Thai dancers’ depictions in ancient  Khmer sculpture and bas reliefs. 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  was also depicted in bas-reliefs at Angkor Wat 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. Classical dance drama. 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:"The Siamese have three sorts of Stage Plays: That which they call Cone [Khon] is a figure dance, to the sound of the violin and some other instruments. The dancers are masked and armed and represent rather combat than a dance. And though everyone runs into high motions, and extravagant postures, they cease not continually to intermix some word. Most of their masks are hideous and represent either monstrous Beasts or kinds of Devils. The Show which they call Lacone is a poem intermix with Epic and  Dramatic, which lasts three days, from eight in the morning till seven at night. They are histories in verse, serious, and sung by several actors always present, and which do only sing reciprocally... The Rabam is a double dance of men and women, which is not martial, but gallant ... they can perform it without much tyring themselves, because their way of dancing is a simple march round, very slow, and without any high motion; but with a great many slow contortions of the body and arms." 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: Section::::"Lakhon". "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. Section::::"Khon". "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. Section::::"Fon". "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" (; ) 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 influence of Thai classical dance in neighboring countries. Thai classical arts exercised a strong influence on neighboring countries, especially Burma and Cambodia. 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" (), an emotional and philosophic verse and the "yagan" () 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" (), 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. Cambodia had fallen into the control of Siamese hegemony around the reign of King Naresuan. But it was during the Thonburi Kingdom that the high cultures of the Rattanakosin Kingdom were systematically transmitted to the Cambodian court, which absorbed them voraciously. As Fédéric Maurel, a French historian notes: It was during this period of Siamization that Thai literary influence had a wholesale impact on the Khmer literature. 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 study on comparative literature found 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 Narodom's reign. Folk dance. 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.