TRADITIONS AND THE TUSK

With 2012 almost at an end, I have been mulling over of late which performances I have enjoyed the most over the last 12 months.

Watching Pichet Klunchun Dance Company’s “Ganesh” last week instantly gave me a winner in the dance category and reminded me again of the truth in Pichet’s statement that dance is so much more than beautiful movements.

The first section of the three-part “Ganesh” took place in the garden of the Siam Society. The classical Thai dance performance told the story of how Ganesh, a devoted guard of Shiva, lost his tusk in a fight against Ram Parasu. The contrast between the traditional Thai houses and the high-rise buildings, led by the clearly visible sign of Terminal 21, was startling and emphasised the contrasts that make up Bangkok. It was also a reminder that the troupe, despite the contemporary tag we usually put on them, is deeply rooted in classical Thai dance. 

The second part in the auditorium, where some audience members sit on the stage and the performance takes place on the floor lit only by fluorescent lights, was a showcase of Pichet’s modern dance choreography in which his dancers played with the themes in the original story of “Ganesh”. Having developed this set of movements with his company members for several years, Pichet showed clearly here how the otherwise rigid classical Thai movements can actually evolve and his dancers, with backgrounds in either western ballet or classical Thai dance, can perform comfortably with them. This was notwithstanding the fact that the costumes and atmosphere reminded me too much of sci-fi movie “Tron”. 

The last section in the Siam Society’s parking lot was the wildest, aesthetically speaking. Looking more like performance art than contemporary dance, the scene was similar to what happens at a shrine where Thai people pay respect to Ganesh, whom we regard as the god of arts.

To a wide array of music performed live by a Thai music ensemble, dancers wore various styles of costumes – from a Joker to Goddess of Mercy Guan Yin – and they even perform a cover dance of the most viewed song on YouTube in an attempt to release Ram Parasu, a character brought in from the second part, from Umadhevi’s curse. This representation of the myriad, or mayhem, of cultures in contemporary Thailand made me think back to the first part, the classical Thai one, and why it, despite its beauty, sent me into jet-lagged naps. 

The major flaw was that the audience seats were all on the same level, except for the second part, meaning that most had only partial views of the performance. A friend who had attended the dress rehearsal recommended I sit in the front row, which I did.

It was also noteworthy that Pichet only performed in the first part, masked as the title character, and the rest of the two-hour no-intermission performance was carried out smoothly by his company members. “Ganesh” has thus cemented the status of Pichet Klunchun Dance Company as Thailand’s leading dance troupe. 

 

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