Mintha Theater Show

If you want to watch a show in Mandalay then a great option is Mintha Theater. Here, you'll see dancers wearing elaborate traditional costumes, who perform more than 12 different dances on the stage for the audience. They often dance according to stories about traditional folk tales and legends and this is one of the best ways to learn more about the local culture in Myanmar.

Mintha Theater Show

Mintha Theater is set up in 2006, operated by Inwa School of Performing Arts. It runs as a social enterprise to protect and expand the traditional Myanmar shows. Every night at 8:00 PM, Mintha Theater performs about 12 classical Myanmar dances in traditional costumes (the performance changes nightly). The performers are students and faculty from the Inwa School of Performing Arts with a live classical Myanmar “saing waing” orchestra.

Some famous classical dances in Myanmar

Anyein

Anyein

This is a traditional single dance of Mandalay called Anyein, the two main characters are dancer and clown Lupyetxen.
Besides entertainment, this dance also has content meaning, mainly meant to tease about the stories and events that occurred at that time. Sometimes show very vulgar content. Dance performance time is quite long, can last up to 2 hours. Therefore, the dancers and clowns must constantly take turns to perform to ensure the quality of the performance for the audience.

The dance of puppets

Myanmar is famous for its traditional puppet art. When performing, there will be puppeteers and dancers will perform movements like those puppets. Female dancers often wear royal costumes, with a long-sleeved coat, a wide - waist cloth, “longyi” skirt. The male dancers wear coats, silk “longyi”, and a white towel with a piece of cloth protruding like a leaf on the head.
This dance has the Nat, the soldier, the joker, and the magician. Not only is it a regular dance performance but also a performance with profound content and meaning.

Yein

One of the most famous folk dances that attract thousands of tourists to Myanmar is the Yein dance. This is a very popular dance in Myanmar and often dances in the Thingyan Water festival so tourists can see on the street or on important holidays.
The participating dancers will wear the same uniform dresses and perform the same movements. A special feature of this dance is to perform with many people on the streets, creating an exciting atmosphere.

Peacock Dance

Besides these above dances, Myanmar also has other traditional dances with a combination of instruments such as swords, drums. Some of the ethnic minorities in Myanmar still maintain their old-fashioned concepts so it is rare for young men and women to dance together.
The classical dances of Myanmar are protected and developed into one of the symbols of Myanmar people. In particular, Myanmar classical dances often appear in major events from the nation and large events of international stature, most recently Seagame 27. When participating in Myanmar tours, tourists should not skip the opportunity to enjoy Myanmar folk dances in Thinyan Theater Show to better understand the traditional culture with beauty from the land of the golden temple country!

Thanh Van

(Image source: Internet)