HOUSE OF THE WEEK
Warm single-storey house in Thingangyun
UNCOMPLICATED suburban living sums up this single-level house in Thingangyun township. The house is not overly spacious but there is a nice garden and lawn as compensation. more
Hip-hop dancers break ground not limbs
(Volume 26, No. 510)
SINCE hitting the mainstream in the 1970s, hip-hop dancing has maintained its status as a technically difficult, high intensity form of dance most associated with the street rather than polished stage performances. Although late to arrive in Myanmar, plenty of kids are still risking their limbs to impress their friends with some cool moves.
“If a normal person wants to practise, start with some exercises to increase the stamina and relax tense muscles, avoiding drinking and smoking as well,” said Tayza, a dance trainer.
It takes from six months to one year to develop the required strength and proficiency to do forward and backward somersaults, and sometimes longer to do handstands and headstands, although a good gymnast will develop much faster, according to Tayza.
It’s important to develop ability slowly to avoid injury.
“Hardly anyone has got injured during practice here because we begin with something simple and proceed through the dance carefully step by step,” he said.
A lot of children take the classes for fun and health reasons.
“Parents feel a bit uneasy about the moves where their children are at risk of injuring their neck when they do backward somersaults but they don’t stop them,” he added.
Hip-hop dance dates back to the 1970s in western countries. Labelled street dance in Myanmar it was all the rage in the late 90s although became less popular around 2003-04. Of late, there has been something of a revival.
“Young people are showing a greater interest in performance using body movement and dancers also provide a stirring backdrop for singers at concert,” said Tayza,
Many hip-hop dancers cross over from gymnastics, which provides them with the strength, flexibility and coordination required to dance.
Aung Kyaw Swar Hein was a gymnast at the Myanmar Gymnastics Federation from 1990 to 2005 and won silver medals in the Third Junior Gymnastics Championship in the Philippines in 1996. He also participated in the Sea Games four times and trained in China.
He crossed over into dance in 2005.
“Dancing is a breeze because I practised gymnastics so it makes the lessons easier to perform. I have never had much trouble with the lessons and I have become far better at dancing than the other trainees,” he said.
