Abstract

The Thai-Muslim folk performance arts of Mak yong, Rong-Ngeng and Dikir Hulu are important and valuable parts of local and national heritage but are struggling to exist in modern society. These performance arts are vital for the continuation of traditions and customs, yet cannot satisfy the entertainment needs of audiences. This research studies the conditions of folk art performances by Thai-Muslims in three southern border provinces of Thailand in order to develop the costumes used in the shows and provide a solution to the battle against modern forms of entertainment. The results identify both changes and stagnation in costume type, character, size, shade, patterns, and materials as causing a decline of traditional performance popularity. A combination of tradition and development, modern costumes should be directly related to the needs of current society and implemented by artists, governments and private institutions to conserve these three performance arts in southern Thailand.

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