SEMIOTIC INTERPRETATION OF NARAPHONG CHARASSRI’S CONTEMPORARY DANCE

Abstract

          This article, “Semiotic Interpretation of Naraphong Charassri’s Contemporary Dance” is a part of the thesis for the Doctor of Philosophy Program in Thai Theatre and Dance, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, entitled “The Semiology of Female Characters in Naraphong Charassri’s Contemporary Dance”. It is aimed at analyzing and interpreting signs concealed in various components of the performance. Qualitative research methodology was employed with data being collected from related documents and research studies, interviews with relevant experts, and recorded video of the performance.

          Results of the study indicated that signs were found in two components of the performance: 1. costume, which could be further divided into three categories, namely 1) costume conveying female gender; 2) costume communicating the time; and 3) costume indicating imitation or replacement of something in concrete and abstract forms; and 2. props, consisting of canopy bed, chandelier, paintings, bathtub, dressing table, plants, and swing. Each of the signs could be interpreted through the semiotic process that included: 1) signifier and 2) signified, allowing the audience to feel the sufferings experienced by ballerinas and a memory of a glorious past. Thus, the signs used in this performance control the mood of the show to go the way the designer wanted to portray. This was the charm of the performance that made the audience grasp the hidden meanings and led them to truly understand the character’s thoughts and feelings that the designer wanted to communicate with the audience.