Hi, this is View from Point of View channel.
We're now at Suvarnabhumi Airport, again!
I'm gonna give you a hint, we're going somewhere.
But we're not traveling abroad this time, we're traveling in Thailand.
We're going there because I've heard that,
this particular show, which is exceptional, is taking place in Chiangrai Province.
It's Khon Klang Plaeng everyone!
So, I suggest that we got on the plane to Chiangrai Province
and let's go see Khon Klang Plaeng.
Let's see what it is
and see if there's any difference from regular Khon that we've seen.
Before arriving in Chiangrai Province,
don't forget to follow me on social media.
Okay, are you ready for the fun and the learning?
If so, let's hit the road!
We're now in Chiangrai!
People might be wondering why must we come all the way to Chiangrai Province for Khon Klang Plaeng.
Other provinces also have Khon, why are we coming here?
Well, I must say that it's because this one particular event is taking place in Chiang Rai --
which is International Balloon Festival 2019
or Singha Park Chiangrai International Balloon Fiesta 2019.
The festival took place in February 13 to 17
at Singha Park in Chiangrai Province.
Since it is an international balloon festival
there must be balloon races
and colorful balloon shows.
But what does balloon have to do with Khon anyway?
Well, for this balloon festival ---
there isn't just balloons, but also other activities,
like concerts of great singers.
When I was at the concert, there was Palmy
Nuvo
Poly Cat
Hugo was also there.
Oh, please! There was too much to count.
And apart from that, there's also food stalls around.
This is truly a space for family gathering.
The best part is that ---
the organizers also value Thai identity.
That's why they have Khon as one of their shows.
And since there are foreigners everywhere, Khon is a great way to promote Thai culture.
Moreover,
Khon they're performing is also Khon Klang Plaeng.
This year marks the second time of this festival.
Last year was its first time,
to have Khon Klang Plaeng performance in the festival.
Are you guys seeing this?
This festival has everything!
Khon performance, concerts, great food
and views for nice pictures
which you guys might already see on my Instagram feed.
That was very off-topic.
There's only 2 rounds of Khon performance.
But I'm in Chiangrai for so many days.
Feeling so motivated.
If you guys are ready, let's go see Khon Klang Plaeng!
Okay everyone
After 2 days in Chiangrai,
I've done so many things.
2 days at the balloon festival ---
I went to the concerts, I flew on hot air balloon
and most importantly, I already took a sneak peek at the rehearsal.
And finally, the day has come.
The day of Khon Klang Plaeng performance.
And right now, we're here at Singha Park in Chiangrai Province.
I'll take you guys to see Khon Klang Plaeng then!
First off, this is the right venue for Khon Klang Plaeng
because it needs space, like, big grass field,
to play battle scenes. Khon Klang Plaeng's stories are always from battle scenes.
And it's really rare these days.
Even more than that, the performers for the show are the artists from Wang-Na!
I already saw it last night.
And I can tell you, it's gonna be an eye-opening experience.
Let's go see Khon Klang Plaeng performance
And I'll explain later --
why must it be Khon Klang Plaeng
, what's the difference between Khon Klang Plaeng and Khon we've seen often
and how many types of Khon there are.
Let's go see the performance!
Right now, we're already in front of the stage.
We're about to see Khon Klang Plaeng.
But first, let's get to know how many types of Khon there are
and how Khon Klang Plaeng is different from other types of Khon.
Let's go!
It's quiet inappropriate to do the explanation in the venue.
We should be mindful of the performers
because they are on the stage. We can't just talk all the time.
And it also disturbs the others.
So, it's best to do this outside.
We all know that Khon is a dance-drama performance
of which performers are wearing masks
and dancing rhythmically with the music, right?
But, actually, there are many types of Khon.
There's more than one.
I understand that we see Khon as
a performance on stage, something like that, right?
But, in fact, there are 5 types of Khon.
The first one is Khon Rong Nai --
what we're most familiar with
since Fine Arts Department of Thailand often host Khon Rong Nai performance.
Khon Rong Nai is a combination between Lakhon Nai and Khon.
Apart from Khon movement,
Khon narration and dialogue,
there's also Thai traditional dancing.
And it also features 2 Pi Phat orchestras.
During these days, most of Khon performances by the Fine Arts Department,
whether performed indoor or outdoor,
are always of Khon Rong Nai style, because it is spectacular.
There's traditional dancing, graceful movements.
And since there's Khon Rong Nai, there's also, of course
Khon Rong Nok.
There's a slight difference between Khon Rong Nai and Khon Rong Nok.
Khon Rong Nok's setting isn't as precise as Khon Rong Nai's.
There's no proper setting.
It's set on common stage or platform
with bamboo rails set along its length.
Imagine the stage...
with bamboo rails laid from one side to the other.
Normally, while watching Khon,
we'll see a seat, some sort of thing like a bench...
looking like a throne.
Khon Rong Nok doesn't have these things on stage.
They'll be using the rails as the throne.
That's why this type of Khon is also called --
Khon Nang Rao.
Next, we have Khon Na Cho.
Khon Na Cho is developed out of Thai shadow play or Nang Yai.
Everyone might already know Nang Yai.
The performers first put up the backdrop, right?
Then they'll hold up the carved buffalo-skinned puppets
and let the backdrop reflects the shadow.
And there are also performers dancing.
But, at that time, playing only with shadows became boring.
That's why sometimes they incorporated Khon into Nang Yai performance.
Like, while the puppet was being held up, a person walked out from behind.
Bam, a performer in Khon costume appeared.
But after a while,
people felt that Khon performing is more exciting than Nang Yai's.
It led to having Khon performances in front of the same backdrop.
The puppets were removed.
So, that is another type of Khon.
And the fourth type of Khon --
is the most developed one.
It's called Khon Chak.
Khon Chak emerged during the reign of King Rama V.
There was first the opera-oriented dance drama --
which is plays with proper stage and scripts...
this and that...
and there was also chants and dance.
This kind of play inspired the adaptation of Khon.
This is how Khon Chak emerged.
But Khon Chak is slightly different from regular Khon.
I mean, it requires separating the performance into independent plays.
There couldn't be reversions
, unlike Ramakien epic tales
which were written specifically for traditional Khon performance.
This one is more like a modern play.
That's why they need to divide the stories into parts,
each written particularly for Khon Chak.
And the last type --
which is in fact considered the oldest form --
is the one we're getting to see today!
Khong Klang Plaeng it is.
Khon Klang Plaeng is performed outdoor, in an open-air space.
No backdrop, nothing.
Just the natural surrounding.
Battle scenes are often depicted in Khon Klang Plaeng performance.
Or it could be any scene which two camps are fighting.
It's very convenient since they are performing in open space.
So, I believe we know now what Khon Klang Plaeng is.
Let's go see the performance.
It's just started.
I need to tell you guys that Khon performance always begins with a prelude.
Let's watch this from the prelude to the main piece
and the last set.
For today,
the performance is divided into 3 parts.
The first is the prelude,
which is Dhep Singhawatarn.
It is newly and specifically composed for this show.
And the second is the main piece --
Intarachit War.
The scene is about the fight between Intarachit and Phra Lak.
Of course, Intarachit had no chance winning Phra Lak
because he was very good at fighting.
When Intarachit found himself losing,
he took out his most nefarious weapon --
the Nagapasha arrow.
Nagapasha arrow would let out countless Nagas when shooted.
You guys can see from this
that Phra Lak loses his consciousness when hit with the arrow.
But Phra Ram saved him at last
by shooting an arrow calling the Garuda to help.
The Garuda chased the Nagas away.
Garuda is actually an all-time enemy of Naga.
because it eats Naga as food.
I've told you guys this before.
And for the last set,
they performed a dance piece for blessing King Rama X.
We can see that Khon performance is a high art form of performance.
In each performance,
we get to see the union of art forms and great artists just for one show.
Beginning with costume designs
which also requires complicated embroidery.
The orchestras also need to be Pi Phat orchestra.
And the song or music needs to reflect the story, too.
The performers themselves, --
although they don't speak, their movements communicate particular meanings or emotions.
For example, certain movements suggest that they're angry,
some suggest that they're shy.
If one has some knowledge of Khon,
it's not that hard to understand what the characters are saying through their movements
even without the narration.
For literary aspects,
the beauty of literature is reflected in Khon narration and dialogues
which plays with words aesthetically.
Most importantly, the performance we just saw today
owes its perfection to the artists from Wang-Na
who study the art of Khon, theatre, musical performance and Thai vocal music
at the College of Dramatic Arts
which is located in the area of the Front Palace (Wang-Na).
Wang-Na used to be the residence of the Uparaja of Siam in each period.
Pinklao, the brother of King Rama IV, used to live in the palace of which the area has become the location of the College of Dramatic Arts.
Apart from this, the performers also include staffs or former staffs of the college,
Bunditpatanasilpa Institute,
or the Office of Performing Arts.
They are truly expertise and it's such an honor to witness their talent through this show.
A high art form, indeed.
So, we've finished seeing Khon performance.
How was it? Did you guys have fun?
This might be a relatively new perspective on Khon performance
because Khon Klang Plaeng is different from common Khon performance we've seen.
If anyone has comments,
or if I said anything incorrect,
also, if you guys spot any special characteristics of any Khon character,
please feel free to comment down below.
And for those I met at the festival,
don't forget to tag me in our photos.
If you like this video, please give it a thumbs up
and don't forget to click share, so your friends can see this too.
Well then, see you next time!
Bye-bye, Sa-wad-dee-ka.