Ramvong

Origin & history: Ramvong (Khmer រាំវង់ romvong, from rom 'to dance' and vong 'circle'; Lao and Thai ramwong) is a social circle dance of the Khmer people that is also traditional in Laos, Thailand and among many peoples of mainland Southeast Asia and Xishuangbanna in China. Its roots are ancient: it is thought to have grown out of village harvest celebrations in which rice farmers danced in a ring around a central pile of grain, a communal practice long predating the modern popular form.

Cultural & social context: Ramvong is a participatory, everyone-joins dance performed at New Year (including Khmer and Lao New Year), weddings, temple festivals and to welcome guests, danced for entertainment, relaxation and shared happiness. Its simplicity has made it a fixture of village life and of the Khmer, Lao and Thai diaspora. In Thailand it was actively promoted during World War II by Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram, who encouraged ramwong (developed from the older ramthon) as a wholesome national pastime and part of his "Thaification" cultural policy to displace Western dances such as the foxtrot and waltz; after the war its popularity was partly eclipsed by luk thung and cha-cha-cha.

Character & feel: Slow, gentle and gracefully flowing — sociable and mildly flirtatious rather than dramatic.

Technique & movement: Dancers move counter-clockwise in a circle (in Laos the men form an inner ring and the women an outer ring), typically as couples who do not touch. The signature element is the hands: the palms are folded with the fingers held roughly at right angles to the wrist, and the dancer straightens and curls the fingers in time with the music, the two hands moving in opposition. Footwork is simple, the feet stepping in rhythm and in counter-motion to the partner; the Lao version is often described as a cycle of eight movements.

Music & rhythm: Accompaniment ranges from traditional drums (the Khmer skor/thon and the Thai thon that gives ramthon its name) and the Lao khene mouth-organ to modern popular bands. Songs are melodic and mid-to-slow in tempo, supporting the unhurried circling of the dancers.