Abstract:
The objective of research into the role of Hanumans bathing in a masked play is to study factors, principles and guidelines for invention of dancing postures as well as the acting role for Hanumans bathing which reflects solo dancing so as to show the dancers flair and such dancing procedures thus need very high skills. The dancing procedures have been passed on to the researcher by Mr. Prasit Pinkaew, a national artist in the field of Art of Acting (Thai classical dance-monkey masked play ) for the year 2008. From the research, it is found that the format of a bathing dance reflects bathing and dressing by a dancer playing as a king or a royal family member with such different bathing purposes as bathing before travelling, bathing before visiting highly-esteemed people or a king, bathing before performance of rites, and bathing before going into a war. A bathing dance shows beauty of various aspects such as lyrics, costumes, dancing procedures and dancers skills in carrying out dancing procedures. Bathing dance procedures feature bathing, dressing and wearing of ornaments. A show is divided into 3 parts that are 1. bathing 2. putting on perfumes 3. dressing. A bathing dance show may not include completely all these 3 parts but must not lack the part of dressing as that is the main part of a bathing dance that shows beauty of costumes and ornaments worn. Hanumans bathing is a show focussing on Hanumans way of bathing and dressing while he was occupying a post of grand viceroy of Lanka City. Dancing procedures pertaining to parts 2 and 3 feature a costume of a demon, in green hemmed in red, wearing a Yod Dern Hon Crown, the supporting song for the dance show is Long Song Tone while a Phi Phat ensemble also joins the show and dancing procedures feature Tee Bot Dancing. The structure of dancing procedures is based on synchronization of dancing postures for monkeys and those of dramas that show intelligence, skill, knowledge and ability of the inventor of dancing postures. Moreover, the Hanumans bathing show reflects a Thai social belief in bathing before performing any activity so as to keep bodies clean and enhance grace and prosperity for such persons.