A Thai cultural show was held for children at Metropolitan School Frankfurt in Germany as they learn about life outside of Europe.
The activity was part of a collaboration between the European Union, and the Thai Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A group of Grade 1-2 students were treated to the performance.
Before the show, the teacher signalled for the students to quieten down, asking them to show respect for Thai culture and the guest performers.
The performance began with a 10-minute khon masked dance show, telling a story of the battle between the Great Demon and Phra Ram, followed by a demonstration of Isan dancing.
After the show finished, the students were split into four groups to learn about Thai traditions like khon dancing, umbrella painting, fish embroidery and batik-cloth making.
"It is really amazing," said Cody Norenberg, the Metropolitan School Frankfurt's primary assistant principal. "Our children are very happy and they like the show. This activity doesn't only benefit the children, but also the teachers who are getting many ideas for culture exchange."
He said the performance from Thailand is part of the school's effort to develop open-minded students who are respectful and appreciative of other cultures.
He added the show was the first instance of the school spotlighting Thai culture, and served as a good start for supporting globally-minded primary education.
Grade 1 teacher Michael Botsford said the children were excited during the performance, looking stunned as they had never seen anything like it before.
He said Frankfurt has become international city over time, home to different cultures. He sees learning about other cultures as important for children, letting them foster relations with those of different backgrounds than them.
A six-year-old student said she enjoyed the show and the Thai classical dance as she contemplated joining the umbrella-painting activity next.
The cultural show also organised a performance at Goethe University that was attended by the school's students and people from the Thai community. The university offers Thai language courses.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture co-organised the Thai cultural roadshow to promote the country's traditions in European destinations including Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany and Belgium. The tour is scheduled to end next week.
Pannabha Chandraramya, consul-general of the Royal Thai Embassy to Germany, said the show marked the first time such a cultural show had been held for German kids.
The ministry would like Thailand to have a "good image" with young foreign audiences, she said. As the kind of activity involves people-to-people contact, Ms Pannabha says it is a human way to strengthen relations between the countries.
"In the short term, the families of these students may come to visit the country," she said. "But in the long run, we do hope that our activity will be able to develop a positive attitude towards Thailand."
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are around 60,000 Thai people living in Germany, which is the largest such community in the European Union.
