Khon Dance

Thai dance is an integral part of Thai culture. The Thai dance is the most well known form of Thai performing arts. Thailand has a wide variety of classical as well as folk dance some of which are popular till date. During your trip to Thailand you should make it a point to watch at least one form of Thai dances. You can also see Thai dance dramas in any of the festivals and special occasions of Thailand. Khon dance is one of the well known dance drama of Thailand. It is a kind of masked dance drama and it is regarded as the highest form of Thai dance drama.

Among the six well known dance drama forms of Thailand, Khon dance is given the highest rank. It is a form of traditional Thai dance. This dance drama is based on Ramkien, a Thai epic that is the Thai adaptation of Hindu Ramayana. This epic had a huge impact on the cultural development of Thailand as well as all many other Thai countries.

Khon dance generally consists of four sets of characters. They are male, female, monkey and demons. All the characters are taken from Ramkien. All of the dancers in this beautiful dance drama wear colorful Khon masks as well as colorful costumes. The Khon dance depicts the never ending struggle between good and evil.

Originally this beautiful Thai dance drama used to take place at the royal court. As this dance required huge expenditure on masks, costumes and a number of dancers, this dance was never performed for general public. However, in recent times during special occasions like festivals this dance drama is held I public places. If you want a deep insight of Thai dance drama you should never miss the Khon dance during your trip to Thailand.