We would like to present to you how Fine Arts Department is training its students in traditional arts and this programme highlights the female dance. In the 1st Year, trainees have to study 40 styles of Myanmar basic dance, solely accompanied by rhythmic beats which are fundamental movements of head, waist, legs and hands, 12 movements for legs, 4 movements each for waist and head, and 5 movements for hands.

“ As a 1st step of dance, you have tostretch legs out in the form of four cornered wooeden vessel keeping 9 inches between heels, 13 and a half inches between foot-tips and 18 inches between knees. You have to put the heels of the hand on either side of waist and throw-out the chest. You need to slightly bend knees and in this position you have to stay still for 10 minutes. Now you can start 12 styles of legs movement.

Firstly, put your right leg behind left and vise-visa, place right foot of right and that of left to left, go step by step forwards and then backwards, move two steps with the right leg and again the same way by left leg, kick backwards in order to hold the cloth of longyi, put each leg in the from of flying female mythical bird, sit and turn the waist, sit and move two steps with the right leg and again the same way by left leg and alternate movements of sitting and sanding.

To practice 4 movements of waist, you must touch shoulders and knees, glance backwards by putting hands on waist, turn waist in standing position to the front and sides.

Now lets go to the 4 styles of dance using the head. They are pushing-out chin, slightly tilting head sideways, turning head to left and right and pushing out chin, holding up the head and stooping of the head.

For hands movements, they have to practice moving hands from back to palm and palm to back, moving hands just at the wrists, such as side to side, as well as in circular form and the final is circling hand movements of the wrists. After they have learned these positions step by step, they continue to practice all round movements of head, waist, legs and hands.

We have presented the position of head, waist, legs and hands, which is an important part of Myanmar basic dance which is solely accompanied by rhythmic beats that is used to trained 1st Year trainees of Fine Arts Department. We will continue to present the combination of these basic movements in future programmes.