Dances from the Ayutthaya Period as Inspiration for the Creation of a Dance Performance Named "Sri Ayutthaya Dance"

Abstract

The objective of this research article is to study the dances of the Ayutthaya period to create a dance performance named "Sri Ayutthaya Dance". The researcher has applied the theory of dance creation and thinking, so that it resembles the old, ancient and traditional style as our ancestors' dance patterns might have been created by those dance concepts. The researcher also studied the dances of the Ayutthaya period from paintings, royal puppets and the book of Khoi from the Ayutthaya period to the beginning of the Rattanakosin period. In addition, the researcher studied the dance texts from the reign of King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulaloke, King Rama I, who had gathered the dances that used to be performed during the Ayutthaya period and put it together as a dance textbook.

The results of the research found that the dances of the female character as displayed in the dance texts shows specific characteristics. Therefore, the creation of this dance performance has the following characteristics as the choreography structure has to be performed by a group of dancers close to one another, with an arched back and the legs in a grand plié position. The performers are all female in order to imitate the style of the royal performances. There are 4 performers and the costumes are similar to those found on the ancient paintings in the book of Khoi. They wear a crown-like headdress and long false metallic nails like the royal puppets. The dance is accompanied by a Piphat five musical instruments ensemble. The performance is divided into 3 phases: the first part is when the angels dance to the sacred music Semur; the second part is where the performers have to dance to the lyrics describing the angels sung with the music; and the third part is when the performers dance to the sacred music Cheud. The benefits from this dance creation will guide the creation of other works and will expand our knowledge of Thai dance for the future.