Chapter 2

20 years after his solo performance I AM A DEMON launched him into global attention, Pichet Klunchun premieres a new solo performance as part of da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN). Bold yet contemplative Chapter 2 sees Pichet looking back on his artistic practice to understand the evolution of his methods and intellectual desires, through the challenges and limitations he has faced.

An esteemed contemporary dancer and choreographer based in Thailand and known internationally, Pichet has not only effectively transformed the traditional khon mask dance from within its own convention, but also extended the potential of the classical court form through experimentation with technology. In Chapter 2, he returns to scrutinize his own physical dancing body, this time with the wisdom of asking how his sustained injury now negotiates with itself and with the standard that khon dance demands. He opens an affective conversation with AI on issues of embodiment and expressivity, and also of co-authoring a performance.

Always the provocateur, Pichet shifts from challenging tradition to confronting AI. If I AM A DEMON contests the rules of Thai classical body, Chapter 2 tests the limits of being human—particularly regarding “feeling” versus mechanical reproduction. The question “Can AI dance with feeling?” becomes a mirror that reflects back on Pichet himself: in what ways is he becoming mechanical, emotionally less human? From one who once dismantled khon, Pichet now becomes a philosopher of movement: asking how khon can survive in a new world order, and how the human body can coexist with its machinic other.

Commissioned by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and making its world premiere in Singapore, this production is presented as part of da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN), a weekend that spotlights contemporary dance works by and in collaboration with Asian artists focusing on distinct voices and creative impulses from the region.

Production Credits

Choreographer and performer: Pichet Klunchun

Set and Lighting design: Pichet Klunchun

Dramaturg: Fu Kuen Tang

Stage Manager: Kornkarn Rungsawang

Producer: Sojirat Singholka