photo: Nattapol Meechart

Kornkarn Rungsawang - Dance Artist

Rungsawang represents a new generation of dance artists whose aim is to bridge the traditional and contemporary. Raised in a family of performers—her ancestors founded a Li-Kay folk theatre troupe—she began folk dance at the age of seven, later training at the College of Dramatic Arts, Bangkok, and graduating with a BFA in Thai Dance and Choreography from Burapha University.

Since 2007, she has been a full-time member of the Pichet Klunchun Dance Company (PKDC), where intensive Khon training became the foundation of her contemporary movement vocabulary. In 2015, she began creating her own works, blending traditional kinesthetics systems to the contemporary bodies and urban rhythms to formulate new dance expressions that reflect the current social, cultural and political environment. Her first solo, “This Piece Is Not Completed Yet”, questioned the dynamics between artist, audience, time, and space, followed by the series “Organs” (2017–2019), inspired by the female body and sexuality to generate new movement vocabularies.

More importantly, Kornkarn received the acclaimed Asian Cultural Council (ACC) Individual Fellowship that afforded her to spend seven months of dance research in the United States. During her ACC fellowship, she also participated in the International Choreographers Residency program at the American Dance Festival in North Carolina.

Her latest creation, “Mali Bucha: Dance Offering” (2021–present), developed during the pandemic, explores intersections of ritual, spirituality, and technology. Presented in Bangkok, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Indonesia, and Taiwan, it premiered at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore in October 2023 and continues touring internationally.

Education

2010: Graduated Bachelor of Fine and Applied Arts, major in Music and Performing Arts, Burapha University.

2006: Graduated High School: The College of Dramatic Arts.

Exhibition

2024: Sep5-Dec29 “MALI BUCHA” the group of exhibition as part of the 2024 Art Spectrum: Dream Screen at Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea.

Performances

2024: Nov 29,30, Dec 1 “Mali Bucha: Dance Offering” Freespace Dance 2024 ,The Box, Freespace
WestK, Hong Kong.

2024: Oct 18,19 “Mali Bucha: Dance Offering” as part of the 2024 Art Spectrum: Dream Screen at Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea.

Sep 13,14,15 “Mali Bucha: Dance Offering” Toyooka Theatre Festival 2024 at Kinosaki International Arts Center, Toyooka, Japan.

2023: Oct 13,14,15 “Mali Bucha: Dance Offering” da:ns focus on 2023/24 Esplanade — Theaters on the Bay, Singapore.

Aug 16 “Dance Offering” (work in progress) Tjimur Dance Theatre, Pingtung, Taiwan.

April 24 a solo performance “Dance Offering” (work in progress) Kinosaki Arts Center, Toyooka, Japan.

2022: Oct 26 a solo performance “Dance Offering” (work in progress) Indonesian Dance Festival, Jakarta, Indonesia.

June 17-18 a solo performance “Dance Offering” (work in progress) at TanzKongress22 Sharing Potentials / Mainz, Germany.

June 11-12 a solo performance “Dance Offering” (work in progress) at Noble PLAY, Bangkok, Thailand.

Mar 3-5 performance and exhibitions “Dance Offering” (work in progress) at Esplanade Annexed Studio as a part of VECTOR#2: DYADS curated & produced by Dance Nucleus (Singapore) in Collaboration with Esplanade — Theaters on the Bay.

Sep 19 Online_Performance“ Dance Offering” at Chang Theatre, Bangkok Thailand.

Sep 18 Presented “Dance Offering” at Marathon of 14-Minute solo dance #14 Project, an Esplanade Commission, Co-Producer: NTCH Taipei.

2019: April 18-19 & 25-27 performs a solo dance piece "Organs #2" at 6060 Arts Space, Bangkok, Thailand.

February 19 performs a solo dance piece "Organs #2" at Music and Performance Arts Festival 2019, Bangsean, Thailand.

2017: November 24-26 & Dec 1-3 performs a solo dance piece "Organs" at Chang Theater, Bangkok, Thailand.

July 17 representing the International Choreographers Residency program invites promising choreographers to the American Dance Festival, dance piece "Hunting the chicken '' at Weaver Auditorium, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

June 10 Choreographing Performing "Traveler" at HB Studio 120 Bank St, NYC. collaborating between Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia, and South Korean artists in six-month residency as a recipient of a grant from the Asian Cultural Council in New York. USA.

2015: July 17-19 & 24-26 performed a solo dance piece "This Piece Is Not Completed Yet" at Creative Industries@M Theater, Bangkok, Thailand.

February 11 representing Thai artists by performing "about ANGELS" at the Performing Arts Meeting (TPAM) in Yokohama 2015, Kanagawa Arts Theatre, Japan.

Pichet Klunchun Dance Company

2024: Feb 23,24,25 “No.60” Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong.

2023: May 12,13 “No.60” Hellerau - Dresden, Germany

2022: Oct 28 “No.60” Indonesian Dance Festival, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Oct 21-23 “No.60” Esplanade — Theaters on the Bay, Singapore.

Sep 8+9 “No.60” Norrlandsoperan Umeå, Sweden.

Sep 2+3+4 “No.60” Densens Hus Oslo, Norway.

Aug 19+20+21 “No.60” Tanzimaugust _Hubble am Ufer Berlin, Germany.

Mar 26-27 “No.60” at North Hall, ROHM Theater Kyoto, Japan.

2021: Dec 18-19 Khon: COMBAT DE RAMA ET DE TODSAKAN presented at Musee du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Paris, France

Dec 11-12 "Black&White" at Musee du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Paris, France.

2020: August 8-9 "No.60" at Taipei Arts Festival, Shuiyuan Theatre, Taiwan.

February 15-16 as world premier "No.60" at Performing Arts Meeting (TPAM) in Yokohama 2020, Kanagawa Arts Theater, Japan.

2019: October a work-in-progress "No.60" in October 2019 at Esplanade - Theaters on the Bay in Singapore.

February 14-17 a group dance piece “Overloaded: The Intangibles of Emptiness” at Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre.

January 12 a group dance piece “The Intangibles of Emptiness” at ARTIST+RUN.

2018:August 31 “Black and White" at Changmu Festival, Daehakro Arts Theatre, South Korea.

August 24-26 "Black and White" at Chang Theatre, Bangkok, Thailand.

April 20-22 & 27-29 "Nijinsky Siam" at Chang Theater, Bangkok, Thailand.

October 13-14 directed as assistant director the opening outdoor performance “MI(X)G” for opening Festival/Tokyo 2018 presented at Minami Ikebukuro Park, Tokyo, Japan.

2017: October 20-22 performs Khon demonstration presented at Esplanade-Theaters on the Bay, Rasas da:ns Festival 2017, Singapore.

September 30& October 1 directed as assistant director the opening outdoor performance “Toky Toki Saru” for opening Festival/Tokyo 2017 presented at Minami Ikebukuro Park, Tokyo, Japan.

August 25-28 a group dance piece “Dancing with Death” at Cloud Gate theatre, Taiwan.

March 2-4 a group dance piece “Dancing with Death” As part of the 2017 Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts (TOPA Festival), Arts Center Melbourne, Australia.

2016: May 6-7 a group dance piece “Dancing with Death” at Esplanade - Theater on the Bay, Singapore, for da:na series, Singapore 2016.

February 7-8 a group dance piece “Dancing with Death” at Performing Arts Meeting (TPAM) in Yokohama 2016, Kanagawa Arts Theater, Japan.

2015: February 14-15 a group dance piece “Black and White" at Performing Arts Meeting (TPAM) in Yokohama 2015, Kanagawa Arts Theater, Japan.

February 28 -March 1 performed "Toshiki Okada x Tomoko Soda x Pichet Klunchun x" at Chang Theatre Bangkok, Thailand.

June 25-28 performed “Theppanom”: (Re) Creating the Contemporary from the Classical at Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Thailand.

November 11-13 a group dance piece “Black and White” at

• Beijing Forbidden City Hall in Beijing, China, November 11

• Shanghai Centre Theatre, Shanghai, China, November 13

2014: January 20-Feb17 attending “DANCE BOX Resident Program2014” and “KOBE-Asia Contemporary Dance Festival #3”, Japan.

October 11-19 a group dance performance “Tam Kai” at

• Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Japan, October 11-12

• Kunisaki Art Festival, Japan, October 18-19

December 7 a group dance piece “Black and White” at December Dance 2014: International Dance Festival which is a collaboration between Concertgebouw Brugge and Cultuurcentrum Brugge, Brugge, Belgium.

2013: October 19-30 a group dance piece “Tam Kai” as part of Ervaar Daar Hier Theater in the Netherlands at

• Den HaagLucent Danstheater, Den Haag, October 19

• Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, Amsterdam, October 21

• Theater Heerlen, Heerlen, October 23

• Stadsschouwburg Utrecht, Utrecht, October 25

• Rotterdamse Schouwburg, Rotterdam, October 26

• Stadsschouwburg Groningen, Groningen, October 28

• Schouwburg Tilburg, Tilburg, October 30

November 5-10 a group dance piece “Nijinsky Siam” at Dansefestival Barents, Hammerfest, Norway.

November 22-23 “Black and White” at Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Building, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University.

2012: April 12-13 “Nijinsky Siam” at Pequeno Auditório – Sala Eduardo Prado Coelho of Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon, Portugal

August 17-24 a group dance piece “Black and White” at

• Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival Groningen 2012, Netherlands, August 17-18

• Zürcher Theater Spektakel, Zurich, Switzerland, August 22-24

October 5-7 a group dance piece “Chui Chai” and “Nijinsky Siam” for TrAP Transnational Arts Production at Norwegian Opera and Ballet, Oslo, Norway.

December 12, 13, 19 performed in performance “Ganesh”, in three different art forms - all in one night at The Siam Society, Bangkok, Thailand.

2011: October 7-8 a group dance piece “Black and White” at Da: ns Festival, Esplanade Theater Studio, Singapore.

October 14-16 performed Khon demonstration presented at Rasas da:ns Festival 2011, Esplanade, Singapore.

2010: July 14-25 a group dance piece “Chui Chai” at

• Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2010, Becket, USA, July 14-18

• Lincoln Center Festival 2010, New York, USA, July 24-25

2009: October 23-27 performed Khon demonstration at Rasas da:ns Festival, Esplanade, Singapore.

2008: September 17-18 a group dance piece “Chui Chai” at Fall For Dance Festival 2008, New York City Center, New York, USA.

Workshops

2024: July Thai Classical dance workshop at Kinosaki International Arts Centre, Toyooka, Japan.

2023: October 16 Thai Classical dance workshop at LASALLE College, Singapore.

August 16 Traditional Thai Dance workshop at Tjimur Dance Theatre, Pingtung, Taiwan.

2019: February 14 Conducts Vagina Dance Workshop at Bangkok Arts and Culture.

2017: December 16-17 Conducts Vagina Dance workshop at Chang theater, Bangkok.

Sep 11-12 Conducts Vagina Dance workshop at Chang theater, Bangkok.

August 18 Conducts Vagina Dance workshop at Chang-Chui (Look at your mind and whatever theater), Bangkok.

May 6 Thai Classical Dance workshop at Ripley Grier Studio, New York. (Lotus Music and Dance)

Scholarship & Fellowship

2017: January 5- July 31 Grantee of Asian Cultural Council fellowship program which enables me to participate in the International Choreographers Residency Program at the American Dance Festival in summer 2017, and observe contemporary dance in the U.S.