School of Ganesh
Dance / Creation 2021
Premiere 12-15 November 2021 / 19:00
Venue : Lido Connect
Jitti Chompee conveys the essence of Thai historical artform, Khon, to current generations that may have grown further away from traditional roots. He aims to forge a connection between traditional and contemporary communities through fruitful exchanges. School of Ganesh is created as an experimental model for Jitti’s research in “Body Architecture” and “Moving Sculpture” which will lead to creativity workshops geared towards students who train in traditional dance. It will challenge them to hone a deeper understanding of their techniques and gain understanding of contemporary methods. Finding this meeting point between the old and the new will nourish their education and training. School of Ganesh is Jitti’s intention to initiate a professional contemporary conservatoire of dance which is worthy to be established in Thailand.
Peculiar beings are bred out of this extraordinary school. In viewing the body as a moving sculpture, Jitti experiments with bodily absurdities and the embodiment of characters from Ramakien including humans, animals and demons. In his fascination with animalism, he fuses animal masks with the human body to create mythical cross-bred characters. His creatures are created through exploring the unique physiologies of different bodies. Human and mythology are interwoven into an eccentric world.
Balloons are used as aesthetic objects that are as imaginative and expressive as traditional Khon masks. Jitti researches the emotional expression of bare faceless balloon heads in place of Khon masks. This minimalism allows for the power of bodily expression to tell its story. Moving sculptures with headless bodies, balloons and masks comprise Jitti’s school of creatures.
School of Ganesh defamiliarizes our preconceptions on tradition by reimagining the interpretations of traditional Khon narration. With Jitti’s style of fragmented storytelling and particular sense of humour, he selects famous excerpts from traditional Khon performance such as the scene about the rejection and revenge of Shurpanakha, a female demon character, and the scene where Rama crosses the sea to depict his scenographic interpretations. He explores the embodiment and portrayal of femininity in Khon through Shurpanakha. The sounds and visuals of this contemporary creation encapsulates the charm of Thai ritual and mythology in a subtle manner. Traditional literature is presented in a new light which can ignite new meanings and perceptions of mythology in Khon.
Credit
Direction , Choreography, Setting and Concept : Jitti Chompee
Director’s Assistant and Text : Kanokporn Vorapharuek
Performers : Anucha Sumaman, Yarnawut Traisuwan, Kanokporn Vorapharuek, Eloïse Grastilleur, Grégoire Manhès, Thitirat Chanchaisiri, Paytai Suksawang
Photographer : Piyatat Hemmatat, Pakorn Musikaboonlert
Lighting : Jirach Eaim sa-ard
Masks : Phirun Phirawat
Reservation : 18monkeysdancetheatre@gmail.
