Every year as a child in Northern Thailand, Waewdao Sirisook and other children would take the jasmine-scented water from the bowl her family prepared, kneel on the floor, and sprinkle it onto the hands of her elders as a sign of respect. Then her parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles would touch her forehead with moist hands, wishing her luck for the new year.
Decades later and an ocean away, the world arts and cultures graduate student still continues the Thai New Year tradition she has held since childhood. But now she is blessed by Angie Vivegapirat, an older friend she made upon moving to the U.S. Together, the two plan on sharing their culture’s joy toward the changing of the calendar through “Song Kran: A Celebration of the Thai New Year,” a free performance held at the UCLA Fowler Museum amphitheater tonight as part of the museum’s Fowler Out Loud series. Thai New Year starts April 13 every year and lasts for three days.
Vivegapirat heads LA Thai Kids, a group formed in 2000 that has young people live out Thai culture by performing it through music and dance.
Through tonight’s show, Vivegapirat wants the audience to leave with a clearer view of what makes Thai New Year different from other similar celebrations.
“After the performance, I want the audience to know that this is actually Thai,” she said. “They think the New Year of us and everyone else is all the same. But we want to show them that Thai is different. We want to show them the Thai way to celebrate.”
Their program features students from LA Thai Kids, who range from 7 to 25 years old. The students will be performing four sets of traditional Thai music spread between seven dances. Sirisook, who teaches the students different forms of Thai dance, will perform alongside them. The performance is divided into four parts to represent different regions of Thailand ““ north, south, east and west ““ but much of the country’s art is influenced by bordering nations.
For instance, the Pang Pra Teep Dance, or Candle Dance, is performed during the Northern Thai portion of the show but pulls much of its influence from Burma, Thailand’s neighbor to the northeast. The piece traditionally involves handling two lit candles as one bends, hops and flexes to the music, avoiding the wax while pulling the audience’s eye toward the flame. Due to safety regulations, however, tonight’s performers will instead use light-bulb candles.
Sirisook is quick to point out the characteristics of Thai dance, especially the differences between traditional Thai dance and other styles. She said Thai dance isolates the body’s core and allows for expression through hand and foot movements.
“I would say that we also go quick, but we also have a control of the facial expression and body,” Sirisook said. “With West African dance, when you go with the body, you go all the way, you don’t care about your hair or head. The whole body gets involved.”
Vivegapirat shares similar views about Thai music, noting that its rhythmic unison and softer dynamic bring a closer connection to the tranquility of nature.
“Thai music is kind of soft,” Vivegapirat said. “The way you listen to (it) is like when you are talking about the waterfall or water going over the rock. If you listen to it and imagine it, you will see it.”
For Vivegapirat, the performance gives her culture face-time with those who know little about it.
“I need to show the other people in the other cultures and other nationalities what Thai culture is like, how we entertain ourselves,” she said.
But for Sirisook, her desired effect on the audience after the night is over is much simpler.
“I just want them to be happy and joyful,” Sirisook said. “I don’t expect more.”