THE COLLECTING AND STUDYING OF PERFORMING ARTS KNOWLEDGE IN CHIANG MAI

Abstract

               This research aims to study the performing arts knowledge in Chiang Mai province, and to collect and publish the performing arts knowledge of Chiang Mai province. The researchers studied the data from academic documents and field data storage using tools such as interview, questioning, and observation from folk philosophers in Chiang Mai Province. Then the results were combined and analysed according to the objectives. The result found that there are 20 districts have the outstanding performing arts, and there are not found the specific performing arts in 5 districts. The result shows that there are 5 types of performing arts found in 20 districts such as 1) Northern-folk dance and traditional Tribal dance, 2) drumming dance, 3) Singing the folk fiddle, 4) Lanna folk bands, and 5) Lanna folklore and tribal play.

Through an analysing of the role of performing arts in society showed that there are three objectives for using performing arts in Tourism such as 1) Performing arts for hospitality 2) Performing arts to promote local tourism and culture 3) Performing arts as a source of community activities for learning. The study found that the performing arts of each district represented the local identity and identity of the folk artists. There are both original and reinvented performing arts according to the changing of the era, the education system, local economic, and social development. The performing arts of Chiang Mai was born from the roots of thinking, the creation of knowledge, ability, wisdom of the folk artists and local philosophers by passing down from generation to generation. Some folk artists have created learning centers in order to convey the wisdom of performing arts and to create a modern or a contemporary performing arts based on local wisdom in order for disseminating the performing arts of each district to remain and be known to youth, Thai people and foreigners.