Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kŏhn & Lí·gair
Kŏhn
is a masked dance-drama depicting scenes from the
Ramakian
(the Thai ver-
sion of India's
Ramayana
). The central story revolves around Prince Rama's
search for his beloved Princess Sita, who has been abducted by the evil 10-headed
demon Ravana and taken to the island of Lanka.
Most often performed at Buddhist festivals by troupes of travelling performers,
lí·gair
is a gaudy, raucous theatrical art form thought to have descended from
drama rituals brought to southern Thailand by Arab and Malay traders. It contains a
colourful mixture of folk and classical music, outrageous costumes, melodrama,
slapstick comedy, sexual innuendo and up-to-date commentary.
Classical & Folk Dance
Inherited from the Khmer, classical dance was a holy offering performed by the
earthly version of
apsara
(heavenly maidens blessed with beauty and skilled in
dance, who are depicted in graceful positions in temple murals and bas reliefs). But
traditional dancing enjoyed its own expressions in the villages and defined each re-
gion. In some cases the dances describe the rice-planting season, while others tell
tales of flirtations. During local festivals and street parades, especially in the north-
east, troupes of dancers, ranging from elementary-school age to college age, will
be swathed in traditional costumes, ornate headdresses and white-powder make-up
to perform synchronised steps accompanied by a marching band.
Puppet Theatre
Puppet theatre (
lá·kon lék
) was once a popular court entertainment. Stories were
drawn from Thai tales, particularly
Phra Aphaimani,
and occasionally from the
Ra-
makian
.
The puppets were 1m-high marionettes made of paper and wire, dressed in elab-
orate costumes modelled on those of the
kŏhn
and were manipulated by two to
three puppetmasters to imitate the dance movements that depicted the great
battles.
Shadow-puppet theatre, performed at night, involves two-dimensional figures be-
ing manipulated between a cloth screen and a light source. This has been a South-
east Asian tradition for perhaps five centuries. Originally brought to the Malay pen-
insula by Middle Eastern traders, the technique eventually spread to all parts of
mainland and peninsular Southeast Asia; in Thailand it is mostly found in the south.
As in Malaysia and Indonesia, shadow puppets in Thailand are carved from dried
buffalo or cow hides
(năng)
.
