Nargis article in Shweamyutay:

My piece on the Nargis Concert was published recently in the Shweamyutay journal in Burma. It was translated into Burmese by the team there and a few things did not go right. Shweamyutay web site is here.

Yama to help Nargis victims

The Burmese Community in Southern California came together on June 7, 2008 in an effort to raise much needed funds for the Nargis cyclone victims back home. Daw Dolly Co Lay, Daw Yee Yee Htay and Ko Toe Nge worked tirelessly to put together a night of classical Burmese theater at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

Though the majority of the audience was Burmese, there were quite a few Americans and Asian-Americans as well. Among the audience was Judy Mitoma, Director of the World Arts & Cultures at the Center for Intercultural Performance at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). She brought a few key personnel from her department.

U Peter Sein, master of ceremony for the event, opened the show and introduced the representatives from Giving Children Hope Foundation, the sponsor of the event, who spoke a few words about the event and how they are trying to help the victims.
When the first images of a short presentation came on the screen, the organizers have effectively set the tone of the evening - a stylish and elegant delineation of a labor of love for a serious cause. The presentation introduced the country to people who are not familiar with it. Then it went on to inform the audience of the impact of the cyclone. It cleverly addressed the devastating impact without getting into the unpleasantness. The tone of the presentation remained solemn and calm throughout.
Our narrator of the evening was Su Mon Han, a recent Yale graduate. Su Mon introduced us to the first performer of the night, Pearl Kamdar, who performed the Candle dance (Sie Mee Kwet). Pearl was trained by the Ministry of Culture's Pantra school instructors back in Yangon. Candle Dance was followed by a performance by the local Kachin ethnic dancers with Kachin Manaw Myay Htaungkar dance.

Christina Oo then shattered the evening with her vibrant performance of Shwe Hninsi - the Golden Rose. People in the audience were enthralled by her rendition of three phases of Shwe Hnin Si's life. Somewhere in the mid-life segment, it became apparent that Christina Oo has effortlessly captured a special place in the hearts of many in the audience and inflicted them so that they would be humming the tune of this song for days to come!

Shwe Hninsi was followed by the Ra Khine Shin Daing Dance by the local Ra Khine dancers. We were then treated to the Hnit Par Thwar (Dance Duet) by Shweman U Win Maung, one of the sons of the late Alingakyawswar Shweman U Tin Maung. U Win Maung was flanked by Christina Oo and Pearl Kamdar. Missing the comedians who typically add spice to the performance and provide brief moments for the dancers to rest, Su Mon successfully filled in with her commentary on the performers and the dance piece. The interaction between Su Mon and U Win Maung, though limited, was fun to observe. We still missed the comedians but this approach seems appropriate given the purpose of the event itself.

After the twenty-minute intermission, Karens came out strong with their Bamboo Dance. It is a fairly mechanically tricky dance routine which they performed with grace. Ma Htaw Rin followed suit with Mon Solo Dance after the Karen dancers.

The last and most anticipated segment of the show was a presentation of scenes from the Yamayana by Shweman U Win Maung. U Win Maung performed both as Yama (Rama) and Dathagiri. U Tin Maung Cho was Lekhana (Rama's younger brother). Khine Zar Pwint played Thida, and Christina Oo portrayed the deer.
Yamayana, as we know it, is a lengthy and large production requiring months of preparation and many dedicated performers and support teams to put it together. The mini version here was compact and yet entertaining enough. Su Mon's pleasant commentary untangled the plot for the uninitiated and helped with the transitions between chosen scenes. The differentiation between Yama and Dathagiri characters was less successful as the only distinguishing feature being the masked-hat which is a bit difficult to see beyond the first few rows. The performances of all the characters were impeccable and the costumes were gorgeous. Despite having been away from his mothership, the Shweman Thabin Dance Troupe, U Win Maung's executions remained true to form perhaps less finesse than he could have but still a force to recon with. Christina Oo was the darling of the show for many in the audience. People were longing for more of her.

The concert was a huge success. It managed to be classy and elegant without being stodgy. The event was professionally managed by the staff -except for the volunteers manning the ticket booth, and no doubt the back-stage activities and logistics of the production. The entire experience was similar to going to a well produced professional theatrical event. In their effort to raise funds for the Nargis victims, the team has also raised the bar for the quality of Burmese concerts in Southern California and captured the hearts and minds of many in the audiences. What a way to introduce our Burmese culture to the American and international audience while helping the victims of a natural disaster. A job well done indeed.

You can view the photos of the show here.