SIFA 2023: Intermission

Duration: 1h, no intermission

Performed in Thai with English surtitles.

Traditional Thai music and contemporary dance practice intertwine to examine the body as a political site and the sociopolitical power of dance.

Stuck in the state-enforced past and unable to see the future of his own country, director Thanapol Virulhakul proposes Thai postmodern dance as a method to navigate Thailand’s socio-political power structure that infiltrates all areas of a citizen’s life. A single dancing body portrays how political power relates to each individual.

In collaboration with the Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM) and George Town Festival (GTF), veteran Thai folk musician Champa Saenprom is reunited with the contemporary dancer Vidura Amranand in a mystical postmodern. Dancer Vidura draws on contemporary dance vocabulary and her practice in dance movement psychotherapy, while Champa uses traditional song to invoke “Kwan”, the protective guardian spirit of the human soul. Music and dance come together to dig deep and assert the potential of art as resistance against the powers that be.

A co-production between BIPAM, SIFA and GTF.

Image courtesy of Rueangrith Suntisuk.