A STUDY OF INFLUENCES AND COMPARATIVE RELATIONSHIPS IN THE DIMENSIONS OF DANCE BETWEEN INDIA AND THAILAND

Abstract

This research on influences and comparative relationships in dimensions of dance between India and Thailand studied 1) the influence of India on Thai dance; and 2) the comparative relationship between Indian and Thai dance. Qualitative research was done with data collected from documents and interviews on historical archaeological data analyzed by the concepts of religion and theism, cultural diffusion theory. and aesthetics and dance. Analysis was also provided by Thai and Indian academic experts.

Results were that: 1) the historical influence from Indian civilization in Thailand derived from a) The Brahmin group in the Thai court and b) literature. 2) Comparative relationships between Indian and Thai dances included: a) Thai Nora may have derived from India by Brahmins or from the court to the Southern folk drama Chatri or Nora Chatri, resembling the Bengal itinerant drama Yatra (Jatra) from Bengal, that worships gods of diverse religious sects; b) Kakatali has a form of performance similar to Khon, including the story, makeup and the symbolic colors. and c) Bharatanatyam and Thai dance have a relationship arising from the culture from South India in terms of beliefs and rituals. The similarity of the Karana pose in Bharatanatyam with the traditional Thai dance pose in naming it using other metaphors include animals, humans, and objects, with comparable cross-cultural gestures.