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Dance
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 Traditional
northern dance, called 'fon', is impressive for its slow and graceful
movements of the hands, arms and legs. The performance is usually
accompanied by an ensemble of the 'kong' (gong), 'glong' (drum)
and 'chap' (cymbals). It strongly resembles Burmese, Tibetan, and
southern Chinese styles of music.
 Typically,
this northern dance would be performed during official ceremonies
to welcome visiting dignitaries. 'Fon' dance is performed by large
groups of colorfully costumed female dancers, each executing identical
movements. During the day, the dancers wear long bronze or paper
fingernails, while at night candles are used instead.
It
wasn't until the nineteenth century that the northern dances were
developed as dramatic forms. The Chiang Mai princess, Phra Ratchachaya
Dararatsami, a consort of King Chulalongkorn, wrote a dramatic plot
for a dance-drama in the northern style after seeing stage plays
in Bangkok. Since then, many northern-style dances have been adapted
for the stage.
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