1987 » Laos » Stage and costume design

Laos

The theatrical culture of Laos is for the remaining world an almost unknown offspring from the great theatrical tradition of the Orient. Nevertheless as early as the 14th century remarkable theatrical forms developed there, which are been preserved unchanged until the present and belong among the precious treasures of the world culture. From a number of Laotian principalities (rich with legends) arose in 1353 on the upper flow of Mekong first state formation with the capital in Luang Prabang. Its founder Fa-ngum spent his youth in exile at the royal court in Kampuchean Angkor. To his new empire he brought refined artists, builders, men of letters, musicians and theatre experts. In the traditions of Angkoťs culture primarily female dancers participated performing the goddess Apsara. She finally disappeared, but what retained and in an original way developed, was Laotian branch of music dance drama on the themes of Indian epic Ramayana or of legends about different Buddha's transformations so-called djatak. A pentatonic melody produced by playing gongs, xylophones, drums and hobos, accompanies these classical productions with dance and mimic scenes, which are as a whole the unique form of a synthetic theatre, with a number of symbols and conventional signs applied mainly by masks, hand, eye and leg movements. In these productions performed always only women — also in men's roles. Presumably just in Laotian music dance drama is preserved the ancient tradition of Khmeťs theatre in the most untouched form. After the revolution in 1975 the cultural politics of the present-day People's Democratic Republic of Laos established favourable conditions to renewal of this national cultural treasure. From the courtial gardens of Luang Prabang the ballet activities have been transferred to the capital Vientiane, where they are — together with other classical and folk, but also with contemporary European music and dance forms — being studied and performed at the Academy of Arts and Dance. A new group of classical music and dance drama have been successfully constituted, which is being extended by new outstanding female dancers. Several dance groups have been founded specializing in folk dance of different Laotian nationalities, alike groups of classical and folk music. The latest speciality is European music, dance and ballet.