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The 'Khon' is a form of dance drama, dating back to the 15th century.

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1. “khon in front of a screen” (khon na jor) - similar to shadow theatre
2.“Khon on a bamboo pole” (khon rong nok) - actors to seat on  bamboo pole to gesticulate recitals of narrator
3. “Khon in the air” (khon chuk rok) - actors to create impression of flying.
4. “Court khon” (khon na jor) - indoors with no scenery, opposite from "outdoor khon"
5.  “khon performed on a Western-type stage” (khon chak). - consists of backdrops & lighting

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1. https://disco.teak.fi/asia/khon-the-masked-pantomime/
2. https://www.theluxurysignature.com/2019/02/13/thailands-khon-dance-a-proud-unesco-cultural-heritage/
3. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Location-of-Khon-Kaen-Province-in-Thailand-left-and-topographic-map-showing-the-wetland_fig1_317751125
4.https://www.thailandnow.in.th/arts-culture/the-king-and-khon-the-story-of-how-his-majesty-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-the-great-saved-thai-traditional-dance/
5.https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1585998/khon-dance-no-reason-for-discord

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The Performers:
Khon Ramakien originally could be performed by men only. Women performed only as angels and goddesses. Today women perform as monkeys and demons. Thai Khon stresses realistic dance moves, especially the monkey, which focuses on beauty and fine monkey-like dancing postures. Generally, the performance of the khon dance is composed of various kinds of characters, such as demons, monkeys, heroes, and heroines. All of the khon characters have different manners and costumes.

In the image above:
Centre (standing on the platform): Hero
Right (kneeling on the platform): Heroine
Surrounding the platform: Monkeys and Demons

The Musicians:
Khon dance is traditionally accompanied by Thai classical music. Khon plays are accompanied by a piphad orchestra, chorus, singers, and narrators at the side of the stage. The narrators describe the events of the plot and recite the lines of the characters on stage with extreme expressiveness. As in many other Asian theatre traditions, the narrators in khon have a crucial role.

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Originally, all the characters wore masks, but since the nineteenth century only the demons and monkeys have worn them.

Khon plays were originally performed outdoors without props or sets, but in the nineteenth century, along with the increased popularity of realism and the new Western-style theatre houses, khon plays began to be performed on a Western-type proscenium stage with fairytale-like scenery. Modern lighting techniques are also used, including spots and now even laser lights.

Khon was originally performed only by males with female impersonators playing the women’s roles, but in the current performances, women’s roles are usually played by female dancers.

Khon is transmitted mostly in educational institutions, while still adhering largely to traditional methods

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Originally performed without a stage, meant for the royalties. There is a strict etiquette on how no one is allowed to walk around during the procession of the Khon drama.

In today's context, it is renowned as a heritage. Demographics of the audiences are expanded to Thailanders and tourists.

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1) Media and new forms of entertainment from the West/
- Locals view the Khon as something old-fashioned and preferred the newer influence of other forms of entertainment . Examples include Korean-pop and Japanese culture.

2)Decline in the power of the royal courts precipitated the death of court drama/Shifting of support for dance and drama from courts to national bureaus of education & culture

- Thailand faced economic difficulties and could not fund the dance form

-The last ceremonial master did not have a successor and thus new dances could not be initiated and the King did not appoint a new person until 2 years later.

-Lack of ceremonial master made it difficult for students to be initiated as a royal dancer

3) Rapid growth of cities that created large populations without access to either folk or court theatre yet eager for some form of entertainment

-As Khon is a form of royal court dance, it could only be performed in the households of dance masters and the royal courts. People who lived in cities that do not have such facilities turned to other forms of entertainment

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Producers, Consumers and Cultural Significance

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Producers, Consumers and Cultural Significance

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Khon is often described as a 'masked pantomime'. This is a term for the khon actors as they do not speak their lines.

They only enact their characters on stage by using expressive gestures and the whole vocabulary of Thai classical dance.

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Please delete this after you have read and followed the instructions:
1. Each group is allowed to choose your Performing Arts Topic. However, this topic must be different from the other groups in class.
2. When discussing and working in your group channel, you MUST turn on the video in order NOT to be penalised for class participation.
3. This is a graded assignment (7.5%/7.5m). Rehearsal is ungraded but the final presentation is graded. ALL members will share the same marks.
4. Check the marking guide before you start. Use the marking guide to critique each other's and another group's work and learn from your peers. Learn from their strengths and avoid their weaknesses.
5. Each group's presentation is 5-6 mins. 2 group members may present on behalf of the group. All group members must turn on their videos during the presentation.
6. ALL members of the group must contribute by researching for at least one sub-topic. Ensure each student who has contributed has his/her name on the posts he/she has created.
7. Caption each photo, video, map and any visuals. Insert a picture for every post. Choose a background that reflects the culture/theme of your topic.
8. Use the same colour post for posts related to the same sub-topic
9. Keep a record of all references for your pictures, maps and content as you need them for the References post.
10. Please save your refined Padlet as a pdf or an image. Ensure that your tutor can open and navigate the padlet. Put your Padlet link as a note in your submission. Submit MP2 onto LMS BEFORE class. Only one member needs to submit on behalf of the group.

ALL THE BEST!

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Now a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage with Thailand's most famous cultural dance, 'Khon' represents a significant point in Thailand's history.

Khon is a classic Thai dance that traces its roots back to the 15th century and is an expressional and speechless form of storytelling. It is heavily inspired by the tales of Ramakien and borrows a leaf from the Indian Sanskrit epic Ramayan.

The choreography is a blend of various aspects of tradition including movements from martial arts, pole and sword fighting and dance. This dance also demonstrates similarities to Thailand's grand shadow puppet tradition that incorporates singing, gestures and the use of musical instruments.

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Performing Arts Topic - Class - Group No.

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Performing Arts Topic - Class - Group No.

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Soh Cheng Yong, Keith, 2004221D

Nurfarhana Bte Sadimin, 2001687I

Edison Lee Le Jie, 2001226F

Owen Ang, 2001461I

[Full Name of Student 5 as on Matric Card, Matric No.]

[Full Name of Student 6 as on Matric Card, Matric No.]