Could Viral Thai Puppeteer Inspire Traditional Art

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IT is hard not to smile at the antics of this unnamed puppeteer from Thailand who came attached with two life-sized female puppets that mirror his every move.
Shown in a video by netizen Kritika Basra, he shuffled about in an infectious gait that quickly got passers-by and onlookers alike dancing alone.
Interestingly, he was also able to control the puppets to hand out warm hugs to the people. The fact that he wore a bright yellow skirt added to the hilarity of the scene.
Besides his dedication to the arts, we also admire his confidence at performing so openly in the public.
More than that, onlookers should be aware that this seemingly simple performance is tougher than it seems since the movement of the performer is hampered by the connecting bars and the life-sized puppets which collectively hold considerable weight.
For a better perspective, take Christoper the Puppeteer, a dancer in the America’s Got Talent reality show, as an example.
Unlike this unnamed performer, Christopher once danced to the song “Beat It” with not two, but four puppets, each a different variation of Michael Jackson. He stated his difficulty at executing the moonwalk while carrying 60 pounds.
It is heartwarming to read the comment section which showed the many netizens who appreciated the efforts of this unnamed Thai performer.
For those people who lack the self-confidence to execute such a performance, they can learn to hold their heads high as they realise the importance of earning an honest living as suggested by this netizen.

Approvals and disagreements intermingle. Another netizen probably felt that the bright-coloured skirt was a mismatch to his gender, hence the comment below.

Most of the disagreements were centred on the performer dressed in a manner that drew parallels to a drag queen.

However, a history buff netizen pointed out that men in most of history played women on stage, especially in western Europe and Japan. He added that in western Europe, it was uncommon for a lady to act at all.
As the laughter dies down, we come to realise a different yet pertinent topic that the unnamed Thai performer has inadvertently brought up.
Traditional art and performances such as Chinese opera, Wayang Kulit and the likes are dying due to the lack of audiences among the younger generation.
Perhaps these dying arts could be revived by having a comedy twist to them. Our Thai performer may hold the key to their survival. – Focus Malaysia

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