Four types of dance from Myanmar!

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by Makiko Akita


Bagan Dance

“It was very fresh experience for me.” Hitomi Hashimoto, first-APU-student said. She participated in Myanmar Week as a Thanakar dancer because she wanted an opportunity to be involved with international students and to know more about Myanmar culture.

 The Grand show of Myanmar Week was held on Dec. 22 at Millennium Hall. Four kinds of dances such as Kayin Don dance, Bagan dance, Thanakar dance and Rakhine Candle dance were shown.

 The first dance was Kayin Don dance from Kayin state in Myanmar. It is an important part of Kayin ethnic heritage and plays a vital role in ceremonial occasions. The old Myanmar people used to  talk about the harvest yields and celebrate the delights of their achievement by dancing. In this Grand show, ten students wearing traditional costumes danced in rows or pairs while holding a cloth in one hand.

 After the Kayin Don dance, five women in white dress and wearing glittering accessories appeared on stage, and they danced to the slow instrumental music. It is called the Bagan dance. Bagan dance originates from the Pyu Kingdoms of ancient Myanmar. It is often performed in palaces and for special occasions of royal families.

 Thanakar dance is a popular village dance and the dance seem to be children playing. So seven Thanakar dancers performed like children are laughing and gestured like playing game. Thanakar  is a natural makeup worn by almost everyone in Myanmar, and dancers worn Thanakar on their cheeks.

 The last dance was Rahkine Candle dance. Rahkine Candle dance is based on religious activities in Rahkine State. It represents people's devotional practices and celebrates in commemoration of Lord Buddha, offering candle lights and flowers. In this show, the stage was illuminated with red lights, two singers song and five women who have candles on both hands danced to the song for about six minutes in the middle of the stage.

 Hashimoto said “The costume was really cute. At first, I couldn’t come up with what the ethnic costume of Myanmar was like, but I was able to know about it through the Grand show.“ As she mentioned, four types of dance at the Grand show conveyed the culture of Myanmar to people.
Rahkine Candle Dance

Kayin Don Dance

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 24, 2018 at 5:39 AM

    My name is Toshinori Sato. It looks beautiful dance and clothes. Which is the oldest dance in four types of dance?

    ReplyDelete

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