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ミャンマータイムスのザップエに関する記事
Performers strive to move with the times
By May Sandy
December 27 - January 2, 2011
Pho Chit performs a traditional dance at an event held at Alliance Française on November 6. The sign in Myanmar reads ‘Mandalay Natives Pho Chit Dance Troupe’. Pic: Kaung Htet FROM the delicately refined flow of traditional Myanmar dancing to the raucous sound of an orchestra or the mercurial fun of a marionette show, performing arts in Myanmar have a long and unique history. Flourishing during the 18th century under the patronage of King Bodawpaya and throughout the Konbaung era (1752-1885), the different types of performance are collectively known as thabin, with certain events that include tributes to Buddha, spirit dances and operas better known as zat pwe.
Like in other countries though, the traditional performing arts are no longer guaranteed their formative place in the entertainment sphere and attracting young people to perform and watch the shows is a challenge facing the industry.
“Most people my father’s age who love zat pwe are not able to go out and watch the shows,” claims young performer Han Zar Moe Win. “When younger generations go to a zat pwe, they hear music which they are unfamiliar with; they don’t understand the Myanmar traditional instruments and they don’t understand Pali (the Indic language in which sacred texts in Theravada Buddhism are written), which is used in some traditional operas.”
To make them more accessible, many performances are now conducted in Myanmar, this change being part of a wider discourse in Myanmar society concerning what kind of changes to traditional cultural forms are permissible.
For example, traditional dancer Moore Min — also famous for his Michael Jackson moonwalk and rendition of Shakira’s world cup theme song “Waka Waka” — takes offence at the sampling of some traditional music in contemporary dance music.
“When I went to Mandalay last month there was a teashop playing Buddhist chants mixed with techno music. In my opinion this is very offensive to the religion,” says the performer, who started his career in the 1980s when entertainment options had already diversified.
“By the time my generation came around, disco albums were popular and TV programs with Boney M and ABBA were broadcast on MRTV at 9pm, when somewhere, out there in Yangon, zat pwe performances were also being held.”
While the ways in which people cons-ume entertainment may be changing as a result of advances in digital technology, the public appetite for thabin remains. Testament to this is the success of thabin performances sold on VCD, the most notable being Ah-ka Khanit Phyar Anupyinyar (Seven Kinds of Dance Performance in the Arts) featuring lead male dancer Pho Chit and female dancer Moe Pyae Pyae Maung, and directed by the composer and filmmaker Shan Htun.
He argues that the industry must become more accessible to audiences through better promotion if it is to compete with other forms of public entertain-ment, such as music concerts.
“I believe that if more zat pwe [performances] are staged in places where concerts are held then people will have more chance to see them,” he says, adding: “Artists themselves need the will to promote the industry.”
The Thabin Ah-Si-Ayon (Myanmar Classical Dance, Opera and Music Association) is the industry’s official body. Its objectives include “to preserve, reveal and expand the Myanmar traditional fine arts,” says spokesperson U Ye Dwe, in addition to furthering the living standards of performers.
However, the association’s efforts appear more focused on the content of performances than on the promotion of the industry. Recently it announced a number of traditional opera performances based on stories of the former lives of Buddha known as Jataka. Such operas are particularly challenging and their artistic success is linked to the commercial sustainability of the industry, which depends on adequate training of performers, investment in costumes, props and stage but also promotion to maintain public interest.
“I want my people to promote their own culture. It has to be them,” says Moore Min, who like many in the industry argues that thabin does not receive the sort of patronage that the film and music industries enjoy and is losing out as a result.
“I wish that some wealthy Myanmar people could see us struggling,” he says.
Yet as entertainment options have diversified in the cities, thabin remains a primary source of entertainment in villages, where leaders in the performing arts are often drawn from.
But many may lack the right skills or education to effectively promote the industry. To solve this issue Shan Htun suggests the creation of a new organisation to safeguard the industry.
“When I was working for the Ministry of Arts and Culture, I attended a meeting abroad with representatives from 24 other countries in the Asia Pacific region. At the meeting, we discussed Western music and its influence on Asian countries. What I learned from that meeting was that in Japan, there is an organisation that works to preserve traditional music. I think our country needs this kind of organisation with the support of the government and the Thabin Ah-Si-Ayon,” he says.
For its part, the government is committed to the “preservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage”, which is part of its second social objective. To this end it holds the Traditional Performing Arts Competition annually in Nay Pyi Taw. The competition, which has been held since 1993, judges performers in a variety of categories, including singing, dancing, song composition and proficiency in Myanmar traditional instruments such as the harp and xylophone.
This competition is a vital testing ground for young performers because it brings together musicians, singers and dancers from across the country. Passing on knowledge and skills to younger generations is important to the long-term health of the traditional performing arts. However, Aye Aye Myint, who teaches traditional dance, marionette theatre and Myanmar harp, says: “A lot of young kids come to me not for proficiency but [to improve] their popularity.”
“Myanmar classical dance is very complicated and it takes months or even years to do it well,” says Aye Aye Myint, who is the lead dancer in the Ta Khine Lone Shwe Anyeint troupe. “But most of my students request that I teach them it in a few days.”
Young performer Pho Chit agrees. “It is crucial to keep the essence of traditional performance,” he says. “Young performers should be more focused on the sustainability [of the industry] rather than their own popularity.”
However, like many performers he sees the predominant issue facing the industry as one of support rather than promotion.
“Without the support of the public, we will not be able to survive,” he says.
http://
ミャンマータイムスのザップエに関する記事
Performers strive to move with the times
By May Sandy
December 27 - January 2, 2011
Pho Chit performs a traditional dance at an event held at Alliance Française on November 6. The sign in Myanmar reads ‘Mandalay Natives Pho Chit Dance Troupe’. Pic: Kaung Htet FROM the delicately refined flow of traditional Myanmar dancing to the raucous sound of an orchestra or the mercurial fun of a marionette show, performing arts in Myanmar have a long and unique history. Flourishing during the 18th century under the patronage of King Bodawpaya and throughout the Konbaung era (1752-1885), the different types of performance are collectively known as thabin, with certain events that include tributes to Buddha, spirit dances and operas better known as zat pwe.
Like in other countries though, the traditional performing arts are no longer guaranteed their formative place in the entertainment sphere and attracting young people to perform and watch the shows is a challenge facing the industry.
“Most people my father’s age who love zat pwe are not able to go out and watch the shows,” claims young performer Han Zar Moe Win. “When younger generations go to a zat pwe, they hear music which they are unfamiliar with; they don’t understand the Myanmar traditional instruments and they don’t understand Pali (the Indic language in which sacred texts in Theravada Buddhism are written), which is used in some traditional operas.”
To make them more accessible, many performances are now conducted in Myanmar, this change being part of a wider discourse in Myanmar society concerning what kind of changes to traditional cultural forms are permissible.
For example, traditional dancer Moore Min — also famous for his Michael Jackson moonwalk and rendition of Shakira’s world cup theme song “Waka Waka” — takes offence at the sampling of some traditional music in contemporary dance music.
“When I went to Mandalay last month there was a teashop playing Buddhist chants mixed with techno music. In my opinion this is very offensive to the religion,” says the performer, who started his career in the 1980s when entertainment options had already diversified.
“By the time my generation came around, disco albums were popular and TV programs with Boney M and ABBA were broadcast on MRTV at 9pm, when somewhere, out there in Yangon, zat pwe performances were also being held.”
While the ways in which people cons-ume entertainment may be changing as a result of advances in digital technology, the public appetite for thabin remains. Testament to this is the success of thabin performances sold on VCD, the most notable being Ah-ka Khanit Phyar Anupyinyar (Seven Kinds of Dance Performance in the Arts) featuring lead male dancer Pho Chit and female dancer Moe Pyae Pyae Maung, and directed by the composer and filmmaker Shan Htun.
He argues that the industry must become more accessible to audiences through better promotion if it is to compete with other forms of public entertain-ment, such as music concerts.
“I believe that if more zat pwe [performances] are staged in places where concerts are held then people will have more chance to see them,” he says, adding: “Artists themselves need the will to promote the industry.”
The Thabin Ah-Si-Ayon (Myanmar Classical Dance, Opera and Music Association) is the industry’s official body. Its objectives include “to preserve, reveal and expand the Myanmar traditional fine arts,” says spokesperson U Ye Dwe, in addition to furthering the living standards of performers.
However, the association’s efforts appear more focused on the content of performances than on the promotion of the industry. Recently it announced a number of traditional opera performances based on stories of the former lives of Buddha known as Jataka. Such operas are particularly challenging and their artistic success is linked to the commercial sustainability of the industry, which depends on adequate training of performers, investment in costumes, props and stage but also promotion to maintain public interest.
“I want my people to promote their own culture. It has to be them,” says Moore Min, who like many in the industry argues that thabin does not receive the sort of patronage that the film and music industries enjoy and is losing out as a result.
“I wish that some wealthy Myanmar people could see us struggling,” he says.
Yet as entertainment options have diversified in the cities, thabin remains a primary source of entertainment in villages, where leaders in the performing arts are often drawn from.
But many may lack the right skills or education to effectively promote the industry. To solve this issue Shan Htun suggests the creation of a new organisation to safeguard the industry.
“When I was working for the Ministry of Arts and Culture, I attended a meeting abroad with representatives from 24 other countries in the Asia Pacific region. At the meeting, we discussed Western music and its influence on Asian countries. What I learned from that meeting was that in Japan, there is an organisation that works to preserve traditional music. I think our country needs this kind of organisation with the support of the government and the Thabin Ah-Si-Ayon,” he says.
For its part, the government is committed to the “preservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage”, which is part of its second social objective. To this end it holds the Traditional Performing Arts Competition annually in Nay Pyi Taw. The competition, which has been held since 1993, judges performers in a variety of categories, including singing, dancing, song composition and proficiency in Myanmar traditional instruments such as the harp and xylophone.
This competition is a vital testing ground for young performers because it brings together musicians, singers and dancers from across the country. Passing on knowledge and skills to younger generations is important to the long-term health of the traditional performing arts. However, Aye Aye Myint, who teaches traditional dance, marionette theatre and Myanmar harp, says: “A lot of young kids come to me not for proficiency but [to improve] their popularity.”
“Myanmar classical dance is very complicated and it takes months or even years to do it well,” says Aye Aye Myint, who is the lead dancer in the Ta Khine Lone Shwe Anyeint troupe. “But most of my students request that I teach them it in a few days.”
Young performer Pho Chit agrees. “It is crucial to keep the essence of traditional performance,” he says. “Young performers should be more focused on the sustainability [of the industry] rather than their own popularity.”
However, like many performers he sees the predominant issue facing the industry as one of support rather than promotion.
“Without the support of the public, we will not be able to survive,” he says.
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