Khon Dance Festival

Srinakarinwirot University. Bangkok, Thailand. February 19, 2012. When I first came to Thailand, I bought a khon mask (see photo) as a decorative item for my apartment. A khon performance is a masked-dance drama, an ancient Thai performance art, consisting of actors who wear masks but don’t talk, a traditional Thai orchestra, and a narrator. It is colorful and involves stylized movements and posture which are quite expressive, even to someone like me who does not understand the narration nor the story being told, which is from the Ramakien, the Thai version of India’s Ramayana. The khon performance I attended was by elementary school students ages 10-12, who study khon for years as part of their school’s regular curriculum. The large auditorium was packed with adoring parents and grandparents. I had no trouble beaming as much as they did. A goal of the school is to create an audience for khon so that it does not become extinct as has happened with other ancient art forms. With this wonderful performance as a guide, I think it is safe to predict success.

This is the khon mask I have in my condo.