Karen Dancing

Today I was in the meeting hall listening to the choir practice for the competition in just over a week, and behind us was this group of students practicing traditional Karen dancing. I have seen them perform a few times, but never watched them practice. It is amazing to me how well they work together, as there are four dancers, two boys and two girls, and then eight people to open and close the bamboo poles in a rhythm for the dancers to step in and out of the holes that are created by the opening and closing of the poles. Then, after they do one dance they have to have another four boys come and hold the bottom bamboo poles so that the dancers can enter under the poles and put their heads up through the holes that are now created. Overall it takes a lot of cooperation and coordination on the part of everyone. However, as I’m getting integrated more and more into the culture I’m finding that they work very well together and have very little conflict which always amazes me. What a treat it was to have my own personal Karen traditional dancing show brought to me by my students J