Western Influences on the Performance of Thai Dance: A Case Study of Striptease in Thailand from the Second World War to 2021

Abstract

            This qualitative research had two objectives: to study 1) the   history and context of Western influence on Thai dance performance through a case study of striptease from the Second World War to the present; and 2) artistic and overall ideal perspectives regarding  striptease ensembles in Thai society. Data was collected from documentary studies and academic articles on issues related to literary theory and concepts, history, anthropology, social science, and dance. Additional data was obtained from interviews with researchers, teachers, performing artists, and actors. Data was analyzed and synthesized by theory and concepts of diffusion of cultural modernization and postmodernism according to the research methodology and findings resulting in historical and artistic knowledge of the dance field.

             Results were that the strip dance, a performance in which dancers are garbed in partial costumes inspired by Thai society, is a means of presenting dance as entertainment at the popular level, adapted for a society in early stages of modern development,  reflecting cultural communication from Western visitors to Thailand from the Second World War to the present. The show evolved a style related sequentially to historical events, leading to two types of performance: one whose original form was inspired by the West, and another modernized from older Thai culture to become universal and respond to consumer demand in terms of contemporary international trends. Artistic dimensions of the strip dance represented innovative creativity, design, and performance elements. Its primary three elements may be defined as 1) the purpose in creating the event; 2) exhibition venue; and 3) pleasing an audience seeking to recognize aesthetic origins of the work in addition to entertainment by observing, studying, and receiving the event.