Now entering its 27th year, the Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music has outlasted countless club nights, fleeting gallery openings, and the tenures of 11 prime ministers.. It returns once again this year, quietly assured in its role as the capital’s most sweeping celebration of live performance.
Held from September 6-October 15, the festival draws together an eclectic yet considered roster of global acts – 14 productions over six weeks, in styles that stretch from Cuban contemporary to Russian opera – it’s the cultural marathon.
And while the festival itself never loudly insists on its prestige, the line-up doesn’t have to. Among this year’s headliners is the China National Acrobatic Troupe, a gravity-defying collective that has amassed more than 70 gold medals since its founding in the mid-20th century. Nicknamed China’s ‘dream team,’ they’ll be somersaulting into the Thailand Cultural Centre mid-September for the kind of act that will probably cause a few jaws to dislocate.
Here’s what’s on:
- Wednesday September 6: Mahabharata: '18 days, Dusk of an Era' by Prabhat Arts International
- Saturday September 13-Sunday September 14: China National Acrobatic Troupe
- Tuesday September 16: Cuba Vibra by Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba
- Friday September 20: A Dream of Red Mansions by National Ballet of China
- Tuesday September 23: Placido Domingo
- Thursday September 25: NOCTURNA by Rafaela Carrasco Flamenco Ballet
- Friday September 27: Nina by PRJCT360 Dance Company
- Tuesday September 30: PIXEL by Compagnie Kafig
- Saturday October 4: Energy Infinite by JU Percussion Group
- Tuesday October 7: Tosca by Samara Opera and Ballet Theatre
- Thursday October 9: Aida by Samara Opera and Ballet Theatre
- Friday October 10: Three Masks of the King by Samara Opera and Ballet Theatre
- Saturday October 11-Sunday October 12: The Nutcracker by Samara Opera and Ballet Theatre
- Wednesday October 15: Prague Philharmonia
Also making headlines is Plácido Domingo, in his first-ever Thai performance. The man is operatic royalty – 12 Grammy Awards, over 150 roles, and a voice that has filled concert halls from Vienna to Buenos Aires. Bangkok gets its turn on September 23.
But the real charm of the festival has always been its refusal to cater to one type of viewer. Opera diehards will find their fix in Tosca and Aida (and for the especially committed, Three Masks of the King), while dance lovers can veer from flamenco to ballet in the span of a weekend. There’s even a techno-meets-ballet hybrid in PIXEL, just in case you were worried it might all get a bit too traditional.
Tickets begin at B3,000, which might seem steep until you consider you’re essentially buying a passport to fourteen different worlds. Full details, programme notes, and ticketing are available through ThaiTicketMajor. And while the posters may promise dance and music, what you’ll really find is something rarer – a sense that, for a brief moment, everyone is listening.