Thai Dance Troupe of Ottawa

Kai Whitcomb

Sukitja Kai Whitcomb has a combination of interests, expertise, and experiences which is unique.  Her main interest in life has always been culture.  As a young girl in Bangkok, Thailand, Kai studied ballet and Thai Classical dance, and went on to perform, teach and represent Thailand abroad in Seoul, Korea.  As a university student (Bachelor of Arts, Chlalongkorn University), Kai traveled to Laos, Burma, Cambodia, India, Malaysia and Singapore to study dance.  This requires an understanding of history, culture, religion, society and even climate.  Kai also plays several Oriental musical instruments and possesses a collection of musical instrument from different parts of the world including a large collection of costumes from all over Asia, enough to outfit over 100 dancers at a time. 

While born, raised, and educated in Bangkok, Thailand, Kai adopted Canadian culture as soon as she immigrated to Canada in 1987.  Kai is the first Asian-Canadian to win first prize in Step Dancing at the Stratford, Ontario Fiddling and Step Dancing Competition in 1990.  Her husband and the two girls have also won numerous prizes and trophies for fiddling and step dancing.  Kai also plays fiddle, piano, boghran, drums, and spoons.  The Whitcomb family band, “From C2C” has staged numerous shows of fiddling and step dancing in Ottawa and abroad.    

While residing in Jakarta, Kai founded the Thai Dance troupe of Jakarta which was well recognized amongst the diplomatic and local communities.  The troupe interacted with well known local artists such as Guru Sukarno Putra, youngest son of the former President of Indonesia.   Kai was also selected to be on the Scottish Country Dancing championship team and taught Scottish Country Dancing to the Scots!  During her stay in Jakarta, Kai also studied and performed Balinese and Javanese dance.

While residing in New Delhi, India, Kai founded the Thai Dance Troupe of Delhi.  She studied Bharatnatyam which is a form of Southern Indian classical dance.  Within a year Kai was selected by the dance institute to perform “The Birth of Jesus” in Bharatnatyam style in Rome, Italy.  The Birth of Jesus was the creation of Jotysna Shouri, director of the Dance Center and was funded by the Indian Government.  Kai, her family, and the Thai Dance Troupe of Delhi were often featured in the local media such as Diplomatist magazine, Delhi Time, Times of India, Hindustan Time, Delhi Mid Day, and The Pioneer.    

Over the years the Thai Dance Troupe has included hundreds of members, adults joining or leaving as their interests and family configurations change, and children moving from beginner to professional and then leaving to pursue careers and families.  Currently, the troupe has 20 regular members; ranging in age five and 55.  The Thai-Canadian community joins in for the large annual productions like the “Amazing Thai New Year Celebration 2006” at the theatre du Lac Leamy Casino in Hull, Quebec which was staged by over 60 people. 

The secret of promoting culture abroad is to know your audience, and customize the performance accordingly.   Western audiences not only have a short attention span when it comes to foreign cultures, but also do not have enough knowledge of our culture to be able to appreciate the performance.  Kai educate her audience during the performance by providing basic information to help them understand the culture behind the dances in the way that will interest and excite them.    My motto is to satisfy the five basic human senses, to see, to hear, to smell, to taste, and to touch.  To achieve this at the end of the performance, we always invite the audience to join in the final dance, followed by a reception with Thai food, including picture taking. 

Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone who has shared my passion for preserving and promoting Thai music and dance abroad for the past 22 years.  And to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of promoting Thai Culture aboard, I have made my residence into the “House of Cultures without Borders” or “Maison de culture sans frontière” to make it possible for local and foreign artists to promote their cultural activities in an intimate environment with low costs and free admission to the public. 

DANCE EXPERIENCE

• Asian Dance Forms; Thai Classical and Folk Dance, Indonesian Classical Dance (Balinese and Javanese), Indian Classical Dance (Bharatnatyam), Burmese Classical Dance
• Western Dance Forms; Ballet, Ballroom and Latin American Dance, Scottish Country Dance, Canadian Step Dancing

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE

• Thai musical instrument; sau-ou, sau-duang, ranad, Jakae, Tapone, Tone Ramana
• Western musical instrument; fiddle, piano, drums, Irish flute, Boghran, spoons

 

MANAGING EXPERIENCE

• Organizer of numerous cultural events such as Kai Whitcomb Productions, The Amazing Thai New Year Celebrations, Tastes of Thailand.
• Chief Administrative Officer, the Royal Collection, a multi-million dollar Indian based trading company for Kashmiri carpets and crafts, Bangkok, Thailand. 
• Human Resources Manager for the New Siam Frame, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Project Manager for the Canadian Trade Conference and Retreat, India.
• Manager, Siam Conversation Club, Bangkok, Thailand

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• Thai Classical Dance Instructor, Thailand, Indonesia, India and Canada
• Scottish Country Dance Instructor and Thai Cooking Instructor, India
• Ballroom and Latin American Dance Instructor, Thailand, Jakarta, India and Canada
• Thai Language Instructor, Living Language School, Ottawa, Canada
• English Language Instructor, Siam Conversation Club, Bangkok, Thailand 

 

FOREIGN POSTING

• Canadian Embassy, Jakarta, Indonesia, 1991 - 1993
• Canadian High Commission, New Delhi, India, 1996 – 2000

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