Pichet Klunchun is best known for his meticulous, studied experimentation with the traditional Thai classical dance form of Khon. But, recently, the contemporary Thai choreographer also set his creative eye on a newer cultural phenomenon: Reality TV.

Presented by TheatreWorks and performed by Klunchun and his dance company, his new work, Nay Nai, was inspired by a story from the Thai royal court during King Rama VI’s reign in the early 20th century. The title translates and refers to so-called “gentlemen-in-waiting” who served the king. They were society’s sociopolitical elite, the cream of the crop as it were, chosen and trained to become the best soldiers, actors and sportsmen.

Minus the cameras, it’s a bit like being in a reality TV show contest, really. Or, at least, that’s how Klunchun sees it.

“The fact that a nay nai must be trained in all kinds of skills (in the fields of) the military, performing arts, both Thai and Western, sports, and intellectual (pursuits) was very interesting for me. And it’s very similar to reality shows and how people are trained to become super stars. Back during King Rama VI’s time, they were training to become the perfect nay nai,” he said. “The world right now is all about competition. And (in reality shows), the winner normally isn’t the best or most talented, but the one who wins the heart of the audience,” he added.

Intrinsically tied to all these is the idea of male and female roles during that time and how the nay nai reportedly influenced the country’s very idea of beauty, monogamy and polygamy.

Nay Nai the show “is an all-male production where males perform female roles”. Said Klunchun: “What I found is that the movements of Thai classical dance are very feminine. In the past, dance performances were only for royalty and involved females. As a result, the dance movements for all roles were created by female masters. Nowadays, even though male dancers perform male roles, I can still see the femininity in them.”

Style-wise, Klunchun said Nay Nai would be different from what we’ve seen him and his company perform in Singapore, the most recent being Black & White at da:ns Festival in 2011. “In our previous shows, audiences would know they were going to watch a ‘dance performance’. However, this piece cannot be identified in specific terms,” he said. It’s, of course, still a dance piece, but Klunchun said the Khon movements that have been the trademark of his group comprise only 30 per cent of the choreography. (And from the looks of it, punching bags will play a part in the show.)

Incidentally, while 2011’s Black & White hinted at the controversial events of 2006 — the coup that ousted then Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra — Klunchun finds his new work being premiered in the context of another coup — albeit unintentionally. For all of Nay Nai’s titular implications about “gentlemen-in-waiting” and its view of the elite during King Rama VI’s reign, the piece was commissioned by TheatreWorks early last year, way before the onset of the recent turmoil.

Still, it would appear that the current political situation in Thailand isn’t something Klunchun can readily ignore. “It really affects my performance,” he admitted. “I have to rephrase what I want to say when talking about this show. It has to be explained in an indirect way. If I say directly what I want to say or think, I could be jailed because what I’m presenting is related to a topic that’s prohibited in the political situation at this moment.”

Nay Nai is from June 17 to 21, 8pm, at 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road. Tickets at S$35 from http://naynai.peatix.com. For enquiries, call 6737 7213 or email tworks [at] singnet.com.sg.