Dance from Head to Toe: Discover More
What to read and watch to understand Southeast Asian dance
Through various cultures across South and Southeast Asia, Dance from Head to Toe is a capsule exhibition on dance’s unique reliance on the body to create an art form that is both visually evocative and deeply kinaesthetic.
As the writer and researcher for the exhibition at Esplanade's Concourse, I interviewed social anthropologist Dr Irving Chan, an expert in traditional dance in Southeast Asia, and combed through a wide range of media. Dive into these reads and videos to find out more about the different dances across the region.
Essential reading
Asian Traditional Theatre & Dance
A resource site rich with information on traditional Southeast Asian performing arts. Compiled from a book by Finnish professor Jukka O. Miettinen, who was a UNESCO expert for Asian culture and a lecturer at one of the top public universities in Bangkok, it covers all the classical and traditional art forms, sorted by countries.
A comprehensive resource site for Malay dance by Dr Noramin Farid, a Singapore dance researcher, complete with videos and essays.
Further reading
Dance in mainland Southeast Asia
Khon: The Art of Thai Dance
by Marina Kochetkova, DailyArt Magazine (2023)
Find out the cultural relevance of The Ramakien and the history of how it became such an important text in Thai classical dance.
Stories from the San Somdet: The Shaping of Thai Classical Dance
by Kamori Osthananda, Thai Enquirer (2021)
Examining letters from the past, this article reflects on how Thai classical dance choreography became standardised many generations ago during the reign of King Rama VI.
Khmer classical dance hand gestures and their meanings
by Surya Narayan, The Better Cambodia (2022)
Dance images in temples of Mainland Southern Asia
by Jukka O. Miettinen (2008)
If you’re interested in delving deeper into the influence of Indian dance on various Southeast Asian classical dances, this essay digs into the past, all the way back to the bas reliefs of Angkor Wat. Read part 1 here and part 2 here.
Watch: 1000-year-old dance tradition the Khmer Rouge nearly killed
Dance in the Nusantara
Gambuh: A Dance-Drama of the Balinese Courts
by Emiko Susilo (1997)
This essay examines the Indian/Hindu influences on Balinese dance.
The exhibition Dance from Head to Toe runs from 19 Jan 2024 to 19 Jan 2025 at the Esplanade Concourse.
