Happy March Fool's Day!

[howeird]

I have two important birthdays to celebrate today. One is my "ex-wife" Marilyn, who is mumbletymumble years old today. Marilyn played my wife a few years ago in a Santa Clara Players production of Come Blow Your Horn and also was one of the cast of Play On! which I directed at the same theater. She's still a big theater booster and acts in their one-act play series, which perform at senior centers and community groups around the south bay.

It's also the US Peace Corps' 45th birthday today. I started as a volunteer during their 14th year. Read more here.

Comments

[howeird]

Good questions!
The men's dance movements are similar to the women's, except the men are not as graceful. :-)
The person in the mask can be male or female, but the character is male (either a demon or a monkey god).
The movements in the Ramayana range from slow motion to very fast battle scenes. The Ramwong is a moderate speed walk.
Here are examples of the music:
Ramwong
Ramayana (I'm not sure if this is actual music from the Ramayana dance, but it's similar).

The Ramwong music in the example is for a festival called Loi Khratong, which heralds the coming of winter. But Thais don't need a major holiday to do these dances, they can just be celebrating a wedding, or a boy becoming a monk, or a win at a soccer match.