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Grand Dame of Thai classical dance dies |
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September 27, 2000
BANGKOK (AP) - Paew Sanitwongsenee, the Grand Dame of Thai classical dance who learned her art under royal patronage and embellished it with foreign nuances during her European travels, has died. She was 96. Paew died on Saturday at the Chulalongkorn Hospital, named for the fifth ruler of the current Chakri dynasty during whose reign she was born on Dec. 25, 1903. The end came peacefully, her family said Tuesday. Her body will lie in a mausoleum in the Thepsirin Buddhist temple in Bangkok during the weeklong funeral rites that will culminate with the cremation on Oct. 1, a family member said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Paew was presented at the age of eight to Prince Asadang at Suan Kularb Palace where she was taught the art of dancing. She later married the prince. After his death she married Maj. Gen. Mom Sanitwongsenee, who was appointed military attache to various European countries during World War II and subsequently ambassador to Portugal. During her 10 years of foreign travels, Paew was credited for having added new dimensions to traditional Thai dance. In 1948, the Fine Arts Department invited her to pass on her knowledge to all its students, and was declared "a national traditional Thai dance instructor laureate" for having created three new dances. She also choreographed Thai dramatic classics and many court dramas. She was declared National Artiste in 1985 and a year later received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from the Srinakharinwirot University. She is survived by two sons. Traditional Thai dances are elaborately costumed melodramas in which performers depict stories inspired by Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic. Paew is survived by two sons.
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