Royal Thai Ballet - KHON

Mesmerizing grace, stunning costumes, eye-popping acrobatics and the grace and beauty of hundreds of years of tradition all come together in Thai Classical Dance when the Royal Thai Ballet, by popular demand, returns to the San Diego area on Nov. 19 in a one-night-only engagement at the East County Performing Arts Center in El Cajon.

"Wonderful. Breathtaking," exclaimed Jacqueline Corey after their last performance here in April. "Thank you for the beautiful awesome ballet. I have seen the best in Western ballet for 50 years and yours rates among the best," added Doris Vawter.

The dance troupe will perform one of two major forms of Thai classical drama called "Khon," as well as a variety of dances from throughout Thailand. A special V.I.P. "Taste of Thai" reception, featuring a dozen or more Thai dishes and hosted by cookbook author and restaurateur Su-Mei Yu, restaurateur and community leader Tom Fat and ASIA, will be held at 6 p.m., prior to the performance at 7:30 p.m.

"This is a chance to see something that is, indeed, rare. Until recently, the forms of dance presented here were rarely seen outside of the Royal Court and, even rarer, outside Thailand," said Leonard Novarro, co-publisher of ASIA, The Journal of Culture & Commerce, the main sponsor for the event. Co-sponsors include Viejas Enterprises, the La Jolla Music Society, Burkett & Wong Engineers, Bennett Peji Design and Saffron and Taste of Thai Restaurants. A scheduled performance by the group in Chicago is already sold out and an appearance scheduled for Nov. 14 in Miami's 2,400-seat Jackie Gleason Theater is drawing heavy sales. Ticket prices in those places are two to five times what they are in San Diego, according to Novarro. "San Diego is very fortunate," he said.

Thai dance drama has been around for almost 700 years, since the conquest of the ancient capital of Angkor in what is now Cambodia. Thais took some of the Khmer tradition and adopted it to their own forms of dance and drama, adding elaborate masks and stunning costumes. Out of that grew two basic forms of Thai drama, the khon and lakon nai, both performed exclusively for the court. It wasn't until generations later that more popular styles of theater and dance were added, making the form more accessible to most residents of Thailand.

The performances Nov. 19 are exactly how they evolved by melding tradition and popular forms generations ago.

For more information and photos, contact Len Novarro at 619-521-8008.

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Tickets for the performance are $20 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors. The cost for reception and preferred seating is $45 (Call 619-521-8008). General admission tickets may be purchased through the theater box office at 619-440-2277 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily or by calling Asia Media at 619-521-8008.