Stepping up to the stage

Published on March 17, 2008

The Ido Tadmor Bangkok Showcase takes to the stage on March 28 at 8pm with dancer and choreographer Tadmor as well as Israel's hottest pop star Ohad Chitman and celebrated singer/dancer Michal Amdurski.

Tadmor is considered one of the top 10 contemporary dancers in the world and his cutting-edge performances have brought down the house in Tokyo, New York, Moscow, Paris and Madrid. 

For more about the festival, visit www.Friends-of-the-Arts.info or call (02) 204 9237.

Somtow and the supernatural

Composer, conductor and erstwhile author SP Somtow returns to the literary world on March 25 for a talk entitled "The Supernatural in Life and Art" at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand. He will also be introducing his 50th book, the aptly titled "Opus 50".

Somtow, whose horror and fantasy stories often tap into the Thai fascination with the supernatural, is the only Asian with a book on the Horror Writers' Association's All Time Top 40 List.

His talk will touch on the supernatural in Thai life and art - anyone interested in the Kingdom's culture, history and current affairs should find it fascinating.

The cover charge for non-members is Bt300.

Call (02) 652 0580-1.

A vision in thread

Author and textile expert Sylvia Fraser Lu will give a lecture on the traditional art of lotus-stem weaving in Shan State on Thursday at 10.30am in the Siam Society's fourth-floor meeting room.

The obscure art of weaving monk's robes from lotus-stem fibres is a traditional occupation of the villages on the shores of Inle Lake, and first came to national attention in Burma at the annual Shwedagon Maho-thingan Festival. Fraser Lu will explain the development of this particular kind of weaving and its continued popularity today.

A New Zealander by birth, Fraser Lu graduated from Otago University and spent many years teaching in East and Southeast Asia. Her books include "Indonesian Batik: Patterns Processes and Places", "Handwoven Textiles of Southeast Asia", and "Silverware of Southeast Asia". 

Members of the Thai Textile Society and the Siam Society pay Bt100. Members of the public are asked to donate Bt200.

To reserve a seat, e-mail:

info@thaitextilesociety.org.

The Nation