Lakorn (Thai Drama)

Thai Folk Drama "SungThong " on 30 January 2011 

at Sankit Sala near Bangkok National Museum

“Lakorn” dance movements are graceful, sensual and tender, the upper torso and hands being particular expressive with conventionalized movements portraying specific emotions. Because the steps are very taxing on the dancer’s energies, a chorus sings narrative as in the khon.

Lakorn dance drama is less formal and actors than Khon, with the expectations of monkeys, ogres and other non-human, non-celestial beings, do not wear masks. Lakorn plots are drawn mainly from the Ramakien, the Jatakas (collected Buddhist tales), and folk stories.

Lakorn Categories :

Lakorn is sub-divided into numerous variations, the major three being lakorn jatri, a lakorn nawk and lakorn nai.

• Lakorn jatri, a type of itinerant theatre, is derived from ‘Manohra’, the chief folk entertainment of southern Thailand. Simplest of all lakorn in form and presentation. Lakorn jatri is often seen at popular shrines such as Bangkok’s Lak Muang (City Pillar) near Wat Phra Keaw (The Emerald Buddha Temple) where dancers are hired by supplicants whose wishes have been granted (to win lottery prizes, promotion and the like) to perform for the shrine deity according to the fee they have received.

• Lakorn nai drama was originally presented only by court ladies in the palace. It was graceful, romantic and highly stylized.

•      Lakorn nawk (Thai Folk Drama) play on the other hand, were performed outside the palace and acted only by men. Filled with lively music, off-colour  humour and rapid, animated movements, lakorn nawk was the ancestor of the enormously popular likay folk theater.
  
  
  

  Reference : Thailand into the 80’s