CONNECTING THE CLASSIC TO THE CONTEMPORARY
Veteran khon dancers seek to keep the tradition alive through 10-day engagement at Lido Connect and Neilson Hays Library
Jumping out of the National Theatre, the two-part project “Khon: The Human Body: Embodiment, Knowledge Management” is billing itself as a bridge to connect the traditional khon masked dance with young generations.
This is the collective efforts of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Fine Arts Department, 18 Monkeys Dance Theatre and veteran khon specialists to conserve and educate people about Thailand’s cultural heritage.
“I consider myself a communicator, educator or curator. I’m a historical-based person, who has used contemporary methods to communicate messages with people. We realise that people in the present day know the history of khon but it’s hard to relate to.
Khon is about gods and there are multiple interpretations over time. Ramayana, however, takes a non-different form,” said project director Thanphuying Sirikitiya Jensen.
“This project consists of dance performances and videos, making it an open space for people to learn, interact and interpret. History is not dead, it is moving. There are different ways to distribute knowledge, every knowledge management professional does the same thing with the goal to make people connected to their content. It’s about a balance of information. We want to make heritage alive. It’s like we’re fighting against the time.”
On Thursday and Friday, the project will kick off with a screening of the 60-minute documentary film Miscellany Of Khon at Lido Connect. Focusing on traditions and miscellany of khon and the Ramakien epic, visitors can learn about khon narrators, sacred strings that
khon artists hold in their mouths while performing, the origins of the chui chai prelude dance and nang khon, where men play the roles of female characters.
“It’s not just books, but we can learn from talking, performances, Thai music and food. Sometimes when listening to music I learn more and understand things on a deeper level without actually having to know the language well and having to read. It’s about exploration and experimentation with different tools to create different sensory experiences,” she added.
The documentary paves the way for an interesting programme of contemporary dance performances, exhibitions and roundtable seminars that will run from March 18-27 at Lido Connect and Neilson Hays Library. The film will be rearranged to broadcast online in five episodes, expanding its reach to younger audiences on social networks.
“I didn’t grow up in Thailand, but I had an American education. When I came back to Thailand, I tried to understand myself, so I went to a library and picked up a book and read Thai history. I realised that the old Thai is quite hard and I found information is difficult to access,” said Thanphuying Sirikitiya.
“There are so many elements of khon. The art form will have more meaning if people can understand it. When looking at its core, it will help people perceive it.
Khon is a challenge. I think there’s something special to make people feel connected to khon on a deep level. Today, we live with the traditions, which are derived from the traditions of khon and
Ramakien epic, but we don’t realise.”