Nora Thai Fit: Graceful dance transformed into exercise routines.
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“1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Jump, 5 – 6 Shuffling feet, 7 – 8”
The rhythmic sounds of Thai exercise, combined with graceful movements from various Thai dance styles, have become a highlight of Thai Fit classes. These classes are led by Madaporn Noinit ("Kru Fiew") and Khajittham Pathayakun ("Kru Dew"), the two founders of Thai Fit Studio. They adapt various Thai dance forms, including standard Thai dance, folk dance, and traditional dances from the North, Central, Northeast, and South of Thailand, as well as Khon (Thai masked dance) and martial arts.
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This approach, which involves movement and the use of almost every muscle in the body, was studied in collaboration with doctors and sports scientists. The resulting exercises are unique, graceful, fun, and promote sweating and health, gaining immense popularity among both Thais and foreigners. In particular, "Nora Thai Fit," an exercise program inspired by Manora, a traditional folk performance from southern Thailand, is the brainchild of two individuals who had the opportunity to learn from a master Nora dancer in Pattani. This led to the creation of Nora Thai Fit, which has gained widespread recognition. A short documentary film, 37 minutes and 19 seconds long, took a full year to film. It received funding from the Safe and Creative Media Development Fund, Strategic Category, in 2022. It was screened seven times at Lido Cinema, and also broadcast on TrueID and online. The film tells the story of two women from Bangkok who traveled to Pattani to learn the Nora dance, initially intending only to learn the correct Manora movements to develop an exercise program, but ultimately becoming a source of great pride as they entered the world of Nora.
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"Both Dew and Fiew are already interested in Manora dance. They feel that when they watch Manora dance, the use of muscles is fascinating, but they don't know how to do the movements correctly. They thought that if they could learn seriously, like learning from the originators of the culture, learning everything—the process, the methods of transmission, the way of Manora—it might allow them to take this cultural heritage and create something new."
That was a turning point in the documentary, which follows the story of the two girls who travel south to experience the local way of life—the people, the clothing, and the unique yet beautiful language of Pattani. Both Fiew and Dew arrived with great enthusiasm, despite worrying about how well they could learn from the master Nora dancers. Eventually, they became students of Master Chalerm and Master Prapha of the Chalermprapha Nora troupe, masters of Pattani. They became like mentors, opening up a world of Nora that allowed them to experience it more deeply, reducing their anxieties and filling their hearts with warmth.
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“What impressed me the most was the moment they handed me the bowl. Even now, I still feel like I'm a complete stranger, but they showed me so much kindness. It felt like I had reached a point where I was experiencing the real thing. Ultimately, it was an atmosphere I never expected—an atmosphere of sacredness, a mystical feeling, and such a warm welcome,” Fiew recounted, her voice trembling, as she spoke of that moment during a segment of the documentary.
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Along with the storyline, the two characters begin learning Manora dance from their master teachers, mother teachers, and assistant teacher, P' Mon. They are taught the basics with a curriculum filled with numerous Manora dance movements, including the "buffalo horn," "flower garland," and "winding lantern" styles. They must practice stepping, footwork, jumping, and graceful movements to the rhythm of the Manora music's pipe and drumming. The lessons last five full days, culminating in a test for the novice dancers: a performance on a real stage.
“It’s like a goal, learning something and getting the chance to perform,” Fiew said after getting her first opportunity to perform Nora dance as a student of the Chalermprapa troupe at the Kathin celebration at Prince of Songkla University. The documentary showed the dedication, effort, and warmth from the teachers who placed the necklaces, bracelets, and the headdress (cherd) of Nora dance on her head, blessing her before the performance, which went well, along with the feeling in both of them that they realized the greatness of Nora dance in their hearts.
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“Each person has been immersed in a new art form, and we are not mere students without a teacher. A short period of time has molded these two girls into Nora Fiew and Nora Dew, who proudly bring the beautiful dance of Thai Manora to life through Thai Manora fitness exercises. They are opening up a world for people to begin learning Manora through exercise movements, and are ready to expand this knowledge so that people of all nationalities can easily and widely experience the charm of Thai Manora in the future.”
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