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Published on September 26, 2007

The first two weeks of Bangkok's International Festival of Dance and Music at the Thailand Cultural Centre showed how differently performing arts can be packaged and presented for the contemporary audience.

The festival's curtain raiser, the "HM Blues Concert", had Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on hand to help commemorate His Majesty the King's upcoming birthday.

The stars of the evening were the King's brilliant music compositions, which proved to be not only contemporary but also timeless.

This was emphasised thanks to new and ingenious arrangements and orchestration by Pongprom Sanitwong na Ayutthaya, and the powerful voices and attention to detail of veteran singers like Radklao Amaradit, Jennifer Kim, Sobchai Kraiyurasen and Surachai Wongbuakhao.

There was a question in some minds whether the audience really needed to be seeing other performances while Pathorn Srikaranonda was marvellously conducting "The Kinnari Suite".

This was accompanied by ballet dancers jumping up and down an amateurish-looking mountain set. Then, before the masterpiece "Saeng Tien" ("Candlelight"), candles were set out along the stage, and when the singer began, they were magically lit.

It was visually stunning, but many audience members could smell the gas, so their appreciation of this renowned royal composition was marred.

Such trickery might have worked at Impact Arena, where the concert was successfully staged last year, but shouldn't the producer adjust the show to match the venue? What should be the main focuses of the producer of any music concert - the sound quality or the visual elements?

One of the secrets of live performing arts is "less is more", and in fact, three evenings later, this was again proved by India's all-women percussion ensemble Stree Shakti, led by renowned tabla player Aruradha Pal.

It was amazing to witness the five musicians perform with such sheer energy, limitless imagination, courageous experimentation and true ensemble spirit. Even though they were merely sitting on a small temporary stage, they managed to capture the hearts and minds of the whole audience in this large theatre.

They took the audience to Bombay with their music, at the same time making connections to what they had experienced in Bangkok and turning their performance into an intercultural dialogue. This is obviously one way of giving the traditional significance in the modern world.

After the interval, though, Pallabi De and the Kathak Dancers led us down the well-trodden track of what tourists might see in India. Their historical ballet "Kathak Yatra", although true to traditional spirit, turned out to be lacklustre. Many people left during the curtain call, suggesting this Indian evening was something of a Jekyll and Hyde night.

The festival was back on track two days later with "Jarocho", a spectacular and crowd-pleasing showcase of Mexican dance and music presented by that country's embassy in Bangkok.

Director Richard O'Neal, a veteran of the Irish dance spectacular "Riverdance", showed his deep respect for traditional culture while being aware of contemporary audiences' taste for quick-paced fun and stunning stage visuals.

With various flavours ranging from the exciting to the mysterious, the pulsating show was thoroughly entertaining. A memorable moment came as the audience started to leave and a proud Mexican among them stood and sang his national anthem. His impromptu rendition was followed by cries of "Viva, Mexico!" and everyone went home in cheerful spirits.

The loud applause and roof-raising cheers continued two nights later when Argentina's No-Bailaras Tango Group subtly enthralled and seduced viewers with its "Grotesque Passion Dance".

Rather than always facing the audience, the performers focused on the relationships among themselves, the dance and the music, gradually drawing us into their world.

Four days later, members of the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre performed short scenes of traditional dance and music to partly pre-recorded music. Although overall the show was pleasant, with vivid costumes and stage props, it was nowhere near as engaging as some displays of traditional performing arts we've seen at this year's festival.

Preservation of traditional performing arts remains a crucial issue in many countries. With varying degrees of success, these productions showed different ways to package them so that they can communicate and relate to modern audiences overseas. In this day and age, the wrapping may be as significant as the contents.

The Festival of Dance and Music continues until October 11. Next week's highlights are the Portuguese National Ballet's "Pedro and Ines" on Tuesday and the Zurich Ballet's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on Saturday and Sunday.

Call Thaiticketmajor at (02) 262 3456, visit the festival's website, BangkokFestivals.com, or call (02) 661 6835-7.

The writer can be contacted at Pawit.M@chula.ac.th.

Pawit  Mahasarinand

 The Nation