10 Beautiful Things About Laos

Laos is one of the ASEAN member countries that has in store a rich cultural package, I personally would like to share you..

1. Two great performing arts traditions survive in Laos - the rich and diverse folk heritage of the lam or khap call-and-response folk song and its popular theatrical derivative lam luang and the graceful classical music and dance (natasinh) of the former royal courts. Underpinning both of these traditions is the unique and haunting sound of the Lao national instrument, the khene.

2. Communication with the spirits has always figured prominently in Lao daily life, and to this day ritual dances of propitiation continue to be performed in many parts of the country, both by the ethnic Lao and by many minority groups.

   One of the best-known animistic dance rituals still performed today is that associated with the Phou Nheu and Nha Nheu guardian deities of Luang Prabang, which takes place every Lao New Year at Wat Wisun in the northern capital.

3. In Laos there emerged during this period a theatrical derivative of lam pheun known as lam luang, a colloquial combination of singing and storytelling combined with improvisation, action and dance which was performed to a musical accompaniment. Lam luang is thought to have originated when the moh lam began to act out all the parts in his story, changing his costume and movement with each character.
4. Sadly a fire in 2000 destroyed the Central Lao Opera Troupe's headquarters along with its entire wardrobe of traditional costumes and archive of valuable old documents and photographs on lam luang. The company has since been obliged to reconstruct much from memory

5. The khene is almost a national symbol to the Lao people - indeed, there is a popular saying to the effect that 'he who lives in a house on stilts, eats sticky rice and plays the khene is a true Lao'.

6. The moh khene or khene player blows into the soundbox and pitch is determined by means of holes bored into the tubes which, when blocked, bring into action vibrating reeds of silver fitted into each tube.

7. In recent decades there has been a growing tendency, particularly in the south of the country, to use modern western instruments in accompaniment of lam.

   This in turn has led to the emergence of a highly-popular melange of lam and western pop music known as lam luang samay, performed to the accompaniment of a khene backed up by a modern band of electric guitar, bass, keyboard and drums.

8. Fon phun muang - Lao folk dance

   The Lao folkloric tradition incorporates a wide repertoire of folk dances (fon phun muang), some based on ancient animist rituals, some developed in celebration of the passing of the seasons and others adapted from courtly performance genres.

9. Lakhon tukkata - Lao puppetry

   The oldest extant form of Lao puppetry or lakhon tukkata may be found in Luang Prabang, where a troupe based at Wat Xieng Thong preserves the ipok rod-puppet tradition associated with the former royal court.

10. Circus

    As in several other countries of the region, acrobatic routines were featured in both courtly and itinerant theatre during the Lane Xang era, spawning an abiding interest in the popular art of the circus.

Hope you learned and appreciated Laos Performing arts..