This paper looks at the history of nooraa, a traditional performance art as well as a cultural
symbol of contemporary Southern Thailand. It shows how nooraa is being preserved and how
performers have transformed it and adapted it to modern Thai culture in order to maintain the
art form. The nooraa dance is no longer restricted to those who come from a rich tradition
of nooraa; instead, it is being performed and studied by the general public. Members of the
general public, who used to be the audience, have become part of a new class of performers
due to the introduction of cultural education within the education system. This is the result
of a campaign led by the government to revitalise traditional culture at the national and local
levels. This study elucidates how the general public and professional nooraa performers are
both becoming involved in the movement for the preservation of traditional culture, and how,
while they share the same goals, they are recreating tradition in many different ways.