Culture & heritage
Traditional Thai dance: the Khon and the art of gesture
Fingers arched to the extreme, golden masks, gestures of sovereign slowness: classical Thai dance is one of the most refined arts of the Kingdom. Its jewel, the Khon, has for centuries told the epic of the Ramakien, to the point of being recognised today by UNESCO. An immersion in an art born in the royal courts.
The Khon, jewel of the Thai stage
The Khon is the highest form of Thai danced theatre. Born in the royal courts in the time of Ayutthaya (1350-1767), it combines dance, martial art, music, song and craftsmanship in a single performance of unrivalled complexity.
In 2018, UNESCO inscribed it on the list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity: the first Thai cultural practice to receive this distinction. A recognition that gave fresh momentum to an art long reserved for the elite.
Long handed down in the palaces and among dance masters, the Khon is today taught above all in specialised institutions, which perpetuate its rules with great fidelity. In Bangkok, several stages keep it alive all year round.
The Ramakien, source of all the stories
The Khon tells the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Indian Ramayana. It follows Phra Ram, Prince Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, in his quest to free his wife and restore the order of the world against the forces of evil.
The great adversary is Thosakan, the king of the demons, while the army of monkeys, led by the faithful Hanuman, comes to lend a hand to the hero. Battles, ruses, abductions and reconciliations follow one another in an immense fresco.
Each performance stages an episode of this epic. The Thai audience has known its broad outlines since childhood: the pleasure lies as much in the beauty of the gesture as in the way of telling a story heard a thousand times.
The four families of characters
Classical Thai dance distinguishes four great types of roles: the Phra (the lords and the princes), the Nang (the ladies and the heroines), the Yak (the demons and the giants) and the Ling (the monkeys). Each has its own gait, its poses and its style of movement.
The visual signature of the Khon is its costumes: gold-embroidered tunics, sparkling pointed headdresses and, above all, the masks. The demons and the monkeys wear a mask that covers the whole face, a sacred object made according to precise rules by specialised artisans.
Donning these heavy costumes and dancing for hours under a full mask demands an uncommon endurance. The apparent beauty of the Khon rests on an extreme physical discipline, invisible to the spectator.
The art of gesture and the other dances
Beyond the Khon, Thai dance cultivates the same ideal: the grace of gesture and the mastery of slowness. The fingers arch backward, the arms trace infinite curves, the body moves by successive poses, set to the rhythm of the traditional piphat orchestra.
The Lakhon, more supple and more narrative than the Khon, stages the same legends with greater gentleness. In the North, the Fon offers more aerial dances; the Fon Leb, the "dance of the nails", is danced with long brass nails that extend the fingers.
There are, finally, popular and festive forms, such as the Ram Wong, a circle dance accessible to all. From the most codified to the most joyful, dance accompanies the whole of Thai social and religious life.
Where to see Thai dance in Bangkok
The royal theatre Sala Chalermkrung, near Chinatown, regularly programmes Khon performances in spectacular conditions. The National Theatre, near the Grand Palace, also offers classical dance shows.
Several cultural venues and certain dinner shows allow you to discover excerpts of traditional dance, often accompanied by live music. Religious festivals and temple ceremonies remain, for their part, the most authentic occasions to come across it.
Attending a performance, even a short one, is one of the finest ways to understand Thailand: everything is there, the epic, the sacred, the gold of the costumes and that obsession with the right gesture that runs through the whole culture of the Kingdom.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Khon? It is Thai masked danced theatre, the highest form of classical dance in the country. It tells the Ramakien and has featured, since 2018, on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
What is the difference between the Khon and the Lakhon? The Khon, more martial, has the demons and the monkeys wear masks and places the emphasis on action. The Lakhon is more supple, more narrative and more graceful, often without masks for the main roles.
Where can you see Thai dance in Bangkok? At the Sala Chalermkrung theatre, at the National Theatre, in certain cultural venues and dinner shows, as well as during temple festivals. Our Journal points you towards the cultural experiences that are worth it.