Google honours Manlee Kongprapad with a colourful doodle

Google celebrates the 136th birthday of renowned Thai dancer Manlee Kongprapad with a fascinating doodle. She was born on this day in 1885.

Manlee Kongprapad was born in the Yai district of Bangkok. At an early age, she fell in love with dance. The land of Thailand already has a long tradition of over 500 years in dance and the country's royal courts have always been vital patrons of classical dance. The epic tales of history and culture were practised to be interpreted through classical dance.

Manlee Kongprapad started considering herself as a dancer at an early age and established herself as a distinguished dancer in a short period within royal circles. She became a renowned dance performer and later a teacher. Her life history reveals that she was raised by her single mom who used to work in a palace kitchen. Thanks to her mother's profession, she got a chance to watch royal dance performances.

The young Manlee became so enchanted by the ornamented costumes of the dancers added with their graceful moments. She became so enthralled that she couldn't control herself and ran away from her mother with an aim to practice choreography. She received training from various masters who had specialization in the ancient art form. Later, her proficiency boosted her recognition and she became recognized as a favourite of the court.

The legendary Thai dancer and teacher Manlee Kongprapad also invented some of her own moves, which are still practised today with utmost honour to her. She became a part of the first generation of teachers to provide formal dance training at Thailand's first School of Drama and Musicology that was established in 1934. It was later renamed as The College of Dramatic Arts. Her contribution in saving the rich Thai cultural tradition is absolutely commendable. All her efforts as a dancer, teacher and inventor, she not only metamorphosed her life, she successfully opened multiple doors for future generations of dancers.