I don't even know where to begin with this entry. The day was something special. It began as usual. We met up with our French friends, got our Vietnam visa, had an authentic noodle soup lunch, and toured the night market. But the real thing that blew my mind was the Laos dancing we saw in the evening.
We toured the National Museum in Luang Prabang a few days ago and saw that the Lao Royal Ballet Theater Company presents traditional dancing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I thought it might be a good idea to check them out and see what it is all about. So, after a little nap and food we headed out to the theater. We still had to get tickets and hopefully there would still be some available. After the little walk, we arrived in plenty of time and got our tickets without a problem, and we were able to choose seats up front and center. We killed some time at a local restaurant before the show started.
With our tickets in hand, we approached the theater. The music had begun and you could hear it in the entry way. The stage was upstairs, so by only hearing the music and not seeing the instruments made for a great effect. As we entered the room, to the right was the stage with the musicians seated on the right side. There were many chairs and unfortunately, not too many people. This is still part of the low season and that can be expected.
The music was astounding! As a western trained musician, my ears heard something so incredibly different. Previously in my life I had seen these instruments around and even heard them for effects in music, but have never seen them as an ensemble playing live in front of me. I do not know the Laos names of the instruments, but I can describe them a bit.
(Please excuse me if I am missing the exact name of these instruments. I will dig up the info on them later, but thought I would describe them as I saw them.)
There was a man sitting in a ring of small gong like cymbals positioned horizontally. He played with two mallets sometimes striking two at a time and sometimes not. It produced a warm almost vibraphone sound that blended well. This instrument was also on display at the National Museum in Bangkok, so hearing it live made it that much better.
There were 2 xylophones up front. Not your western style, but a curved concave design. One player was a younger boy that used smaller, harder mallets, and the the other was an older man with larger mallets. At times this older man seemed to lead the group with starting and stopping.
The drummer played in two positions. One was when he played the two large drums tilted up at a slight angle from horizontal. This he played with sticks and even though the drums were large, I thought they would produce a dominating sound. They didn't. They blended at times, and at others due to the rhythmic contrast, stood out as to drive the group. The other drum was a single unit with two heads. It was played horizontally, but perpendicular to the player.
In the back there was a recorder like instrument and the stringed instrument. I found some info on the stringed one. It is about 2 feet tall, built with a coconut and bamboo. There are 2 strings tuned in perfect 5ths. I was unable to see too much of those instruments, but could surely hear them.
The instrumental group finished a song and then it was time for the performance to start. A man came out to welcome us and introduce the next group. He spoke in French first, then English. I couldn't understand either one, but it didn't matter.
Next, dancers came out. This is where it all made sense. It was all girls dancing in such an elegant way it blew me away. They were fully dressed in traditional silk and wore gold helmets with the point on their heads. Their movements were smooth and with the music it made a total performance. The whole package kept me awestruck. I had seen the the head ornaments in museums and pictures of the instruments as well. Watching this art form that has been unchanged for hundreds of years, I felt like an alien seeing humans for the first time. I was trying to imagine in my mind as the music was being preformed what experience I could compare it to. It could be like living in a time without music recording, and then someone presents it to you from the future, and you are in disbelief. That was me. Sometimes, I get chills while watching a live performance when it is just perfect. Perfectally tuned brass does it a lot. Orchestras can musically take you to new places. A soloist that completely captivates you. These times are few, but this traditional Laos dancing with the musc did it for me. It is surely one of my musical highlights of my life and of this trip for sure. I feel ignorant not having seen something like this before, but now it is my job to share it with others. The show continued with storytelling and monkeys. It ended as quick as it started and I was amazed at everything, to put it lightly.
When we left, we could see the performers racing out the side door, as musicians do, as if nothing had happened. I was numb with musical satisfaction. My appreciation of what was delivered this evening will be shared to many. When we talked with people in the night market and our friends from the days past all I can do is mention the dancing performance. It might not be the same to them, or to me watching a second time. This first experience is something to be savored.
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