The Daily Yomiuri - Myanmar's many stringed traditional dance

The Daily Yomiuri - Myanmar's many stringed traditional dance
Stephen Taylor / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer
Feb. 6, 2009

If you ever find yourself in rural Myanmar and get invited to an all-night event featuring music and dance, you'll find there are strings attached.

Myanmar string puppetry (called yoke thay) is a traditional art form that substitutes human actors with wooden marionettes and, as Ma Ma Naing, managing director and puppeteer of the Mandalay Marionettes Theater told The Daily Yomiuri in Kawasaki this week, it is an important aspect of Myanmarese village life.

"At festivals, we perform for the whole night, like in the olden days. We start at 9 p.m. [and continue] until the next morning, 6 a.m.

"Because there are many people from other villages who come to that village to see the puppet show, if we finish at midnight, they cannot go back to their village as it's very dark, so they are very angry," she said.

The group, formed by Naing with Naing Yee Mar about 20 years ago, is on its second trip to Japan, which will include performances in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture.

In Mandalay, Myanmar's second city, the group perform for tourists who, unlike the villagers, have to pay. That version of the show is compressed into just an hour.

These performances comprise introductions to traditional Myanmar music, dance and string puppetry, followed by a story from the early life of Buddha, known as a Jataka.

With the group's marathon performances exclusive to Myanmarese villagers, the show for this tour will, relatively speaking, be a 90-minute sprint.

"We are going to show the audience an introduction to Myanmar string puppetry, but without Jataka. In 2002 the show included a Jataka, like in the olden days," Naing said.

While Myanmar puppetry dates back as far as the 11th century, it enjoyed great popularity in the courts of the country's royalty during the 19th century, as human dancers were banned at the time. Not that this stopped puppeteers from imbuing their marionettes with feelings.

"The puppets make the audience feel like they are [watching] humans on stage. It touches the audience and if it is very cruel, the audience throws things at the puppets. Stones, something like that, so it can give a very deep feeling to the audience," Naing said.

While the themes of Myanmar puppet theater are based on Buddhism, the climactic moment in the performance, a duet between the Prince and Princess, is not as earnest as one might expect.

"The Prince and Princess will see improvisation between the puppeteers and musicians. They make many jokes and say something about the festival organizer if, [for example], it is not very good curry. If they are not satisfied with their meal, they'll mention it during that part, with jokes. In the olden days, they were like a newspaper. They spread the news about current events and state affairs," she explained.

Music is another important feature of Myanmar puppetry and, according to Naing, something of a specialized skill.

"It's very important. Musicians, puppeteers and singers, the three parts work together in a synchronized manner," she said.

"Youk-The Pwe" will be performed at Lazona Kawasaki Plazasol on Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (044) 777-2228 and Cascade Hall in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. (03) 3265-6311.