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.

Traditional dances in Bangkok

Thai dances are one of the integral parts of Thai culture. There are different traditional dance forms in Thailand that belong to different regions of the city. It is one of the major dramatic forms of performing arts in the country. The traditional Thai dance can be divided into two categories – classical and folk. Bangkok being the capital of Thailand is also the cultural center of the country. Here you can see Thai dances from every region of the country.

Thai traditional dances are an elegant form of performing art in the country. There are many forms of classical dances as well as folk dances that were supported through regal patronage over the centuries. These dances form an integral part of culture of Bangkok. People from all over the world admire this beautiful form of performing arts during their trip to Bangkok.

Thai dances can be divided into several categories depending on regions like central, north east, south and north. Sri nuan sri nuan, Teut Teung, farmer or rice growers dance and dances with swords, long and short sticks are some of the popular forms of folk dances in central Thailand. Thai folk dances of north east region of the country include Serng Krapit Khoa, Serng I San, Serng Krapo, I San Bantheong and Fon Phu Thai. The northern region of the country has a rich heritage of folk dances. Some of them include sword dance, Ka Lai dance, King Ka La dance, Khan Dok dance, candle dance and Choeng Tua Auk Son. Southern folk dances include Nora which is a traditional dance form of Thailand. Nora TUa Oon, Ram Taeng Kae, Ram Kien Pral, Ram Nora Klong Hong, Ram Ooak Pran.

Apart from the folk dance forms there are several classical dance dramas that used to be performed as court dances in ancient times. These dance dramas include Khon, Lakhon and Fawn Thai. Ram Muyai is also a well known dance form of Thailand and it is performed as a pre-match ritual at Muay Thai, the popular Thai Boxing. You can enjoy all these dance forms during the special events, festivals and ceremonies in Bangkok.