Khon Kaen University Collaborates with Fine Arts Department to Preserve and Advance Thai Performing Arts through Khon Integration

21 July 2026
15:04

Khon Kaen University and the Office of Performing Arts partner to advance academic cooperation, knowledge exchange, and cultural preservation, bringing high-art Khon performances to the Northeast.

Khon Kaen University (KKU), in collaboration with the Office of Performing Arts, Fine Arts Department, held a consultative meeting to foster collaboration in the performing arts between the Fine Arts Department’s Khon and Khon Kaen University’s Khon Mor Din Daeng. The meeting convened on 19 July 2026 at Kalapruek Meeting Room 7, Sirikunakorn Building, Khon Kaen University, establishing concrete guidelines to preserve, inherit, and extend Thai classical dance knowledge prior to a mobile performing arts and music showcase held that afternoon.

Mr. Siripong Thaweesap, Director of the Office of Performing Arts, Fine Arts Department, and Mr. Rattasart Chancharoen, Director of the Performing Arts Research and Development Group, attended the meeting. They held discussions with KKU executives led by Associate Professor Niyom Wongpongkham, Ph.D., Vice President for Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy, Assistant Professor Suksanti Wangwan, Ph.D., Assistant to the President for Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy, and Mr. Worasak Worayot, Director of the Art and Cultural Centre, together with university cultural representatives.

During the session, participants exchanged framework proposals for integrating Khon performance expertise, including dance techniques, music, costuming, rehearsal practices, and stage direction. The discussion also addressed drafting a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and establishing both short-term and long-term operational plans to enhance academic instruction, boost student potential, and foster cultural cooperation networks between the university and the Fine Arts Department.

Assistant Professor Suksanti Wangwan, Ph.D., Assistant to the President for Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy at Khon Kaen University, expressed gratitude to the Office of Performing Arts, Fine Arts Department, led by Director Siripong Thaweesap, for bringing over 130 performers to deliver high-art Khon and classical dance performances to the people of Khon Kaen and the broader Northeastern region. He noted that this offered a rare opportunity for local citizens, students, and youth to experience valuable national performing arts presented by master national artists.

“The performances received widespread acclaim from the audience. It was an exquisitely graceful presentation worthy of honour, leaving a deep impression while instilling national pride and inspiring a genuine love for our national cultural heritage,” Assistant Professor Wangwan stated.

Mr. Worasak Worayot, Director of the Art and Cultural Centre at Khon Kaen University, added that bringing the Fine Arts Department’s Khon performance to KKU provided a vital gateway for Northeastern youth, students, and the public to engage closely with Thailand’s high performing arts. Beyond preserving and disseminating national heritage, the event inspires younger generations to appreciate Thai performance arts. Moreover, the partnership will expand into academic collaboration, practical workshops, student development programmes, knowledge exchange in music and dance, and sustainable cultural networks aiming to advance Thai arts onto the international stage.

Following the consultative meeting, the Office of Performing Arts, Fine Arts Department, in conjunction with the Art and Cultural Centre and the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Khon Kaen University, presented the “Mobile Performing Arts and Music Showcase” at the Theatre of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts. The event allowed students, university personnel, youth, and the general public in the Northeast to experience national-standard performances firsthand.

The programme featured three performances. The first was a memorial dance titled “Samnuk Phra Khun Karuna Song Nangfa Pracha Thai” (Expressing Gratitude to the Two Angels of the Thai People). The second was a creative Isan dance titled “Khuen Kheeng”, performed by the Department of Performing Arts, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Khon Kaen University. The third was a Ramakien Khon performance episode titled “Ram Samana Watar”, performed by artists from the Office of Performing Arts. The event showcased the profound value of Thai cultural heritage by blending local wisdom with national classical performing arts, enhancing public understanding of Thai classical dance and music while reinforcing Khon Kaen University’s role as a regional learning centre for cultural dissemination.