ABSTRACT

This chapter will examine dancing troupes and artists from Siam (Thailand) who toured in Europe and the US in the early 20th century, focusing on the Boosara Mahin Theater Group. Examining both what these Thai artists chose to perform and how they chose to perform their work to audiences in the West and what they learned by their tours of Western countries and brought back to Thailand, the chapter will show how the troupe acted as a cultural channel of communication and connection to the wider world of dance before the end of World War II. Importantly, these connections show how Thai dance has been part of global dance culture longer than often assumed.