Lakhon nai was at the early stages of the golden age of the Bangkok era, but in the first half of the nineteenth century Rama III outlawed it along with other types of court theatre.
Based on four mythological epics that includes The Ramakian (Ramayana), Unarut (Aniruddha), Inao (Panji), and Dalang is a Southeast Asian dance style known as Lakhon Nai. This “Royal court” dance is said to have originated from Thailand. Apparently, this dance style also comprises of a male version which is commonly referred to as “Lakhon Nai Phu Chai”. Furthermore, this dance consists of extremely slow dance movements.
Although lakhon nai struggled to survive and lost popularity in the late nineteenth century when realism came to the fore, the khon mask-drama recovered from this brief ban.
1. History/Origin of the Lakhon Nai
Perhaps dating back to the ancient dance-drama of the Khmers, its history may be longer. But according to the cultural history of Thailand, this dance style was first developed and performed in the royal court during the Ayutthaya era. Apparently, it was initially created as an all-female dance style. However, gradually over the years a male version of this dance known as “Lakhon Nai Phu Chai” was developed and performed.
Only the king, his guests, and members of the court were permitted to watch the performances, which were given by the royal maidens of the king’s harem. Since lakhon nai was staged in the palace’s women’s quarter, it was impossible to use male actors. The Thai kings still maintained sizable harems at the start of the Bangkok period, to which vassals “donated,” primarily for political reasons, their lovely daughters, who were instructed in classical dance in the palace.
The stories in lakhon nai are based on three different story cycles: the Ramakien, the Unraut, which is about the Hindu god Krishna, and the most well-known one, the Javanese Inao, which Thailand quickly adopted. The extensive cycle of tales about the exploits of Prince Panji of East Java is known as Inao in Thai. It describes how Prince Panji, or Inao, becomes separated from his lovely bride and the numerous adventures they have while looking for one another. The female chorus performs the challenging vocal passages to the accompaniment of a traditional, percussion-heavy orchestra playing variations of stock melodies, while the actresses read their lines in soft voices.
2. Lakhon Nai dance style
Since both men and women dance in a similar manner, there are no technical barriers preventing women from playing men’s roles or the opposite. The dance loses some of its masculinity when women portray male characters, and the all-female cast gives the lakhon nai its distinctively graceful look.
3. Costumes used in the Lakhon Nai:
The costume used in this dance style is extremely elaborate and comprises of glittering headdresses.
4. Music involved in the Lakhon Nai:
“Wind and percussion instruments” such as ranat thum i.e. xylophone, khong wong lek i.e. gong and ching i.e. small chambals are mainly used in this dance style.
5. Training availability and technique involved in the Lakhon Nai:
In terms of technique, this dance involves the use of extremely slow dance movements. Furthermore, the choreography of this theatrical dance basically also involves the enacting of four mythological tales that includes the Ramakian, the Unarut, the Inao, and the Dalang. As for training centers/schools, there are none available around the world since this “Royal court” dance is mainly performed in Thailand.
Check Out This Lakhon Dance Video