Abstract:
This thesis will focus on the roles of Sathaporn Sonthong in Thai dance with an aim to study the 5 significant roles of Sonthong including 1) Dramatic Artist 2) Dramatic Art Choreographer 3) Giver of Knowledge and Experience 4) Executive Officer of Thai Dramatic Arts Organisations and 5) Expert/Academic. From the research, it can be discussed that Sathaporn was very influential in Thai dance. During her performing days, she was selected as the main female protagonist in various plays which reflects her great talents combined with Thai choreographs that she was taught by many dance masters. She was known to be a great dramatic artist who could skilfully interpret her roles and deliver feelings to the audience so well that she was the first woman of the Fine Arts Department who was chosen to play the role of Nang Ua Sim a main female character from a multinational story Phaya Phanong. Sathaporn was a pioneer in modern dance choreography of the Office of Performing Arts, the Fine Arts Department. Nothing alike had ever been done by anyone before. The choreographs she created were uniquely remarkable with the following principles: 1) Concept 2) Choreograph Creation 3) Music Selection 4) Technical Arrangement of Space, Proportion, Level, Dimension and Movement Direction 5) Delivering of Emotions to Audience 6) Outfit Selection. As a person who had been taught by many profound dance masters especially Thanphuying Phaew Sanitwongsenee who taught her about thinking process and techniques of creating dances and choreographs as well as the art of criticism, her role as a giver of knowledge and experience about Thai dance was widely accepted as she was known to have good taste in creating new works which were outstanding and distinctive from anyone in her period. All of the knowledge she obtained has been adapted by a number of new artists in modern dance. Her role as an executive officer of Thai dramatic arts organisations is by far her most remarkable role. She was a decisive, pragmatic and smart woman executive who had very broad visions and was able to solve various problems spontaneously. Her enthusiasm together with the fact that she never ceased to learn about new things enabled her to make Thai dance well known internationally particularly among ASEAN countries. Finally, her role as an expert/academic is no less exceptional than all of the preceding roles. This is because Sathaporn was a very well-read person who had long cultivated her skills and obtained a lot of experience in her lifetime making her an eclectic resource person. She gave a great number of lessons and lectures with an aim to pass on her knowledge to students. This made her an inspiring model for artists, dancers, choreographers in the later generation to use her knowledge and create many other good art works to the society.