Coming up at Asia Society
Music and Dance from Myanmar, Shwe Man Thabin Zat Pwe
Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11 – 8:00 PM
Asia Society
725 Park Ave. (at 70th St.)
One of Myanmar’s most revered traditional performing arts troupes, Shwe Man Thabin makes its New York premiere with an 18-member company of musicians and dancers. Performing Zat Pwe — the traditional Burmese performance form that combines elements of music, dance, and theater into a unique variety extravaganza. A highly stylized form, Zat Pwe typically takes the form of an all-night cabaret, and is a highly popular part of village pagoda celebrations, featuring dancers, comedians, clowns, acrobats, and puppeteers, all accompanied by a live percussion and gong ensemble known as the Hsaing Wang. Percussive, melodic, and dizzyingly fast, Myanmar music has its own nearly manic timing which offers the listener an exhilarating tease, defying expectations of symmetry or steady tempo. The music is accompanied by dancers elaborately decked out with flowered headdresses, pearl chokers, floral garlands, and long pink skirts with gleaming threads. The dance, with precisely angled limbs, elegantly smooth at times and wildly acrobatic at others, imitates the movements of a marionette or can be just plain slapstick. The Shwe Man Thabin troupe promises to offer an enticing glimpse into the heritage of one of the world’s most vibrant and exciting cultures. This is a rare glimpse into an extraordinary art form, which remains little known outside its native land.
Both performances will be preceded at 7:00 pm by a pre-performance lecture. A music and dance workshop will take place on Sunday, April 12 at 11:00 am. For tickets please click here. Can’t make it to this program? Tune in to AsiaSociety.org/Live on Saturday, April 11 at 8:00 pm New York time for a free live video webcast.
