Analysis of Patterns, Movements, and Contemporary Aspects of " Ching Dance"

Abstract

The Ching Dance is a qualitative research of the 4th year, Thai Classical Dance Education, Department of Dramatic Music, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi. This research is a research in the form of Thai traditional dance.  This research is a research on the Thai traditional dance form. The objectives are to study the history and evolution of the Ching dance performance, the form and components of the Ching dance performance, and to conserve the Ching dance, including studying the satisfaction of the performers. The instruments used in this research were structured interviews and non-participant observation.

The research results found that the Ching dance is a newly improved performance that evolved from the Tibetan Ching dance. It was first performed in 1981. The equipment was used in the dance performance to celebrate the 36th anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the throne. The Ching Dance has been adapted by the College of Dramatic Arts to perform at the 8th Secondary Thai Music Festival at the Sangkhit Sala, but the dance moves are still the same. There may be only the costumes that have been modified to look like high-ranking women in the Thai royal court during the early Rattanakosin period, or called “Nang Nai”. The study also found that the Ching dance performance was performed to the rhythm and melody of the music without lyrics and was performed by a soft-wood piphat ensemble. The special characteristic of the Ching dance is the incorporation of the basic postures and dance moves of international dance along with the use of cymbal as a performance instrument, creating a unique performance.