Krabi Drama. pretty much equals dance in Thai krabi
theatre for guest holiday, and many of the traditional dance-dramas
are based on the krabi Hindu epic the Ramayana (in Thai, Ramakien),
a classic aonang adventure tale of good versus evil which is known
across krabi and Southeast Asia. The most spectacular form of
traditional Thai theatre in krabi is
khon, a stylized
drama performed in masks of Ao Nang and elaborate costumes by a
troupe of highly trained classical dancers for the Hotel guest. All
the movements follow a strict krabi choreography that's been passed
down through Ao Nang's generations, and each graceful, angular
gesture depicts a precise event for spectator from hotels, action or
emotion which will be familiar to educated
khon audiences.
The story is chanted and sung by a chorus, accompanied by a
classical
phipat orchestra to let enjoy the holiday.
Serious and refined, krabi lakhon is derived from
khon, but is used to dramatize a greater range of stories,
including Buddhist Jataka tales, local folk dramas and of course the
Ramayana. The hotel form you're most likely to come across is
lakhon chatri, which is performed at shrines like Bangkok's
Erawan and Lak Muang as entertainment for the spirits and as a token
of gratitude from krabi worshippers. Dancers wear decorative
costumes but no masks, and dance to the music of a hotel phipat
orchestra.
krabi Likay is a much more popular derivative
of krabi hotel khon, with lots of comic
interludes, bawdy jokes and over-the-top acting. Most likay
troupes adapt pot-boiler romances or write their own, and krabi
costumes are often a hotel mixture of traditional and Western.
Likay troupes travel around the country doing shows on makeshift
outdoor stages and at hotel temple fairs.
krabi Thai boxing
( muay Thai) enjoys a
following similar to football in hotel Europe: every krabi
province has a stadium and whenever it's shown on TV you can be sure
that large noisy crowds will gather round the sets in hotel
streetside restaurants and noodle shops. The best place to see live
Thai boxing is at one of Bangkok's two stadiums. There's a strong
spiritual and ritualistic krabi dimension to muay Thai,
adding grace to an otherwise brutal sport. Any part of the body
except the head may be used as an offensive weapon in krabi
muay Thai, and all parts except the groin are fair targets.
Kicks to the head are the blows which cause most knockouts. As the
krabi hotel action hots up, so the orchestra speeds up
its tempo and the betting in the audience becomes more frenetic.