Page 13 - Laos Destination Guide - Alluring Asia

CULTURE & THE ARTS Art: The visual, dramatic, musical, and literary arts of Laos draw primarily from religious and local traditional sources. However, in contemporary times many towns-especially those along the Mekong River-have been exposed to other cultures and traditions, largely through Thai mass media. In the south, Khmer influences on the peoples of Laos are strong; in the north, Myanmar and Thai influences are readily apparent. As elsewhere in Southeast Asia, religious symbols, stories, and themes have . been modified and localized. The snake, for example, representations of which adorn religious and royal buildings, symbolizes the benevolent spirit of the water and the protector of the king. Music: Music is ubiquitous in Laos. It is heard at Buddhist Temple functions, at celebrations and festivals, and at social events, accompanying sung poetry, dance, and religious rituals. As in other Southeast Asian cultures, music and dance in Laos can be divided into classical and folk traditions, though the division rests more in terms of performance context, whether performed in a temple/court setting or a village environment rather than in the repertoire or social class of the artists. Traditional Lao music and dance likely originated in Cambodia-it is believed that the Khmer, who ruled the region for nearly 1000 years, brought this tradition to Laos in 1353. Laos is dominated by the Lao but includes minorities of Hmong, Mien, Kmhmu, among many others. The most distinctive Lao musical instrument is a bamboo mouth organ called a khene. The instrument was supposedly invented by a woman trying to imitate the calls of the garawek bird. The woman took the new instrument to her king, and he told her it was fair, but that he wanted more. Dance: The Natasinh style refers to the traditional forms, techniques, and character of performing arts taught at the Ecole National de Musique et Danse Laötien (National School of Fine Laotian Dance and Music), founded in the capital Vientiane in 1956 to preserve the music and dance traditions of Laos. That genre includes court music for royal ceremonies and the classical dance-drama based on the Buddhist Rammakian or the Hindu Ramayana, which recounts the life and struggles of Siddhartha or Buddha, as well as music and dance performed for social and ritual occasions.