Northern ‘Beauty’
28 March 2010
Kad Theatre, Chiang Mai
By Pawit Mahasarinand
Photos courtesy of Chiang Mai Ballet

The Chiang Mai Ballet Academy shows its home-grown talent in a classic for charity.

A sixth of Thailand's population might live and work in the capital, but Bangkok isn't Thailand. For just one example of the major art and culture events taking place elsewhere, check out the Chiang Mai Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty this Sunday.

"We have a young star ballerina whose character best fits that of Princess Aurora, and that's a reason why we chose to stage this ballet," says ML Preeyapun Sridhavat, a doyenne of classical ballet whose devotion to the arts earned her a Women Inspire award in 2002.

"Megumi Nishimori is a 12-year-old Japanese girl whose father has been working in Lamphun, and she's been trained at the academy since she was four," ML Preeyapun says.

"Recently she won top awards in major ballet competitions in Australia and Singapore. Having won a scholarship at the Youth America Grand Prix in New York, she also trained with the Bolshoi Ballet in Connecticut for five weeks.

"And we have many award-winning young dancers in other roles."

ML Preeyapun serves as the artistic director for this production and uses Marius Petipa's choreography.

"Unfortunately it's impossible to have live orchestra music here in Chiang Mai, so we have to settle for the CD of the London Symphony Orchestra's rendition of this Tchaikovsky classic.”

"The elaborate costumes are based on the designs used by Russian and English companies, and for the set design we've received much support from the veteran production team of the Kad Theatre."

ML Preeyapun's vision brought the Chiang Mai Ballet Academy into being in 1987, and many students have become professional dancers and teachers in Thailand and overseas. About 300 students will appear in The Sleeping Beauty.

"I think more parents nowadays support their kids studying dance because they know its effects on the right side of the brain, which is not activated that much in Thai schools," ML Preeyapun says.

"I often tell parents that, while the left side says one plus one equals two, the right side says one plus one is one–one pile of sand and another pile of sand put together means a larger pile.”

"Although their kids will one day grow up and become doctors and engineers, not dancers, they'll still have this high level of EQ that can help their career, and with both sides of their brains equally active.”

"As a dance teacher who's well aware that Chiang Mai youths have less access to classical ballet than those in Bangkok, I think it's important for them to witness first-hand classics like Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and La Sylphide. We've been producing one major classical ballet every year.”

"This year it's the 8th Charity Musical Dance Play. We'd been presenting our annual showcases in hotel ballrooms, but sometimes they weren't big enough for the productions. We're lucky to be able to finally settle down at the Kad Theatre, which is of international standard.”

"The production also features modern jazz, Latin, hip-hop and flamenco dancing."

In celebration of His Majesty the King's 83rd birthday, The Sleeping Beauty is raising money for the Thai Red Cross Society's Friends in Need Volunteers Foundation. Patronised by Her Royal Highness Princess Pacharakitiyapa, the foundation helps in disaster relief and improves the lives of local people.