Folk dances predominates Myanmar dance,

an agricultural country where the majority of population live on growing rice. They live in rural areas. Most of their time is devoted to farming all the year round. Almost every pagoda festival is celebrated after the harvest. They give donations. They-initiate their sons into the Buddhist Order. They always organize a village music troupe and enjoy playing their folk musical instruments such as Bon-gvi (Big drum), Bon-shay (long drum), Oz./ (Pot drum), Doe-bat (Double headed Drum), Toenayet Ah-Ka (a fabulous creature dance). etc. Burmese dance is real entertainment and has a big component of Myanmar folklore in it. Myanmar dance

Bon-gyi dance is the combination of dance and music. The Bon-gyi troupe comprises two gyi drummers, a cymbalist-vocalist and male dancer of the troupe and A Bon-gyi Minthann. the female dancer.

 Later, a comedian is added to crack jokes. The Bon-gyi dance troupe performs on a circled ground. First, their performance opens with the devotion of the guardian-spirit and later, follows the enactment of Jataka stories for long hours. It is known that Bon-gvi was sometimes performed inside palaces during the reign of ancient Kings. Later it is mostly perfumed in ploughing and transplanting ceremony in paddy fields. They not only dance but also
encourage the villagers in their collective works of cultivating paddy land.

Bon-shay or long drum dance, pictures includes two long drum players, an oboeist. a cymbalist, a bamboo clapper and two female dancers. The dance troupe dances and enacts Jataka stories. They give night long performance. Bon-gyi and Bon-shay dances arc practised on festive occasions in rural areas. In olden. days, these two dance genres were the preliminary forms of Myewaing zat or the dramatic performance on circled ground. The present day Zat-kyee or Myanmar theatrical performance emerged from these dance and music genres in due course. The Ozi or pot drum has one leather surface on a tubular wooden base, which is hollow at the other end. This folk drum is usually accompanied by fine (oboe) or Plway (flute), LAn-gwin (cymbal) and Wah-let-khoke (bamboo clapper). This type of folk music is usually performed on joyous occasions such as our national festivals, the encourage the villagers in their collective works of cultivating paddy-land. Bon-shay or long drum dance includes two long drum players, an oboeist. a cymbalist, a bamboo clapper and two female dancers. The dance troupe dances and enacts Jataka stories. They give night long performance. Bon-gyi and Bon-shay dances arc practised on festive occasions in rural areas. In olden. days, these two dance genres were the preliminary forms of Myewaing zat or the dramatic performance on circled ground. The present day Zat-kyee or Myanmar theatrical performance emerged from these dance and

Myanmar Dance Folklore

music genres in due course. The Ozi or pot drum has one leather surface on a tubular wooden base, which is hollow at the other end. This folk drum is usually accompanied by fine (oboe) or Plway (flute), LAn-gwin (cymbal) and Wah-let-khoke (bamboo clapper).

This type of folklore dance music

is usually performed on joyous occasions such as our national festivals, the Buddhist novitiation ceremonies and whenever a group of village young people go round collecting funds for celebrating pagoda festivals or doing charitable deeds. The Ozi player uses both his hands to play the instrument, heating it sometimes with his fist, sometimes with the palm of his hand. On special occasions, an 0:1 player shows his versatility by both playing his instruments and dancing to its rhythm. The Ozi dance is sometimes performed in a group. Doebat or double-headed drum folk music is also performed on the same occasions. The Doebat troupe includes two dachas drummers for male drum (Ah-Hpo) and female drum (Ahma). an oboeist or a flutist, a cymbalist. one or two bamboo clappers. The Doebat music is so lively that it is very permanent on every joyous occasion in our