Khon San Suk : Innovation of Khon Coaching for Health Enhancement and Well- being

Abstract

The objectives of this research are 1) to study the format and procedures of the basic Khon practice, and 2) to create Khon practice innovation to promote well-being, namely, Khon San Suk. The scope of the research will focus on studying the format and procedures of the basic practice for Khon Phra (male protagonist role). The methodology used is a mixed methods research. Data was collected from academic documents, interviews, and observation. The data was analyzed with a qualitative method to apply in the creation of the innovation, as well as in the analysis of the quantitative assessment results.

The results show that; 1) The basic Khon Phra practice consists of (1) Tob Khao (knee-slapping) – to practice rhythm and synchronization, (2) Thong Sa Aew (waist-elbowing) – to practice torso and head movement, (3) Ten Sao (steps practice) – to strengthen leg muscles, (4) Theeb Liam (knee angle adjustment) – to familiarize the learner with the correct and beautiful knee angle, (5) Arms and hands bending – to adjust the wrists, fingers, and arms into beautiful curve, (6) Dance to the slow and fast rhythm (Khon Phra) – to practice dance postures of Khon Phra and body movement skills in synchronization with the rhythm of the songs. 2) The innovation was created based on the integration of Khon Phra practice with well-being, the promotion of well-being to young people, and the encouragement of literature study, Ramakien. The innovation format is divided into three parts, six songs: each part consists of two songs. The first part, The Prelude of Ramakien, contains the songs that represent the origin and background of the characters. The dance postures are for warm-ups. The second part, The Battles of Ramakien, contains the songs that represent the battles in Ramakien. The dance postures are for the body exercise. The third part, The Finale of Ramakien, contains the songs that represent the ending of Ramakien. The dance postures are for warm-downs. The knowledge gained from the research “Khon San Suk : Khon Practice Innovation for Well-being” are (1) the guideline for the integration of Khon with well-being, (2) the relation between the dance postures and body muscles, and (3) systematic creation skills.