Anyeint

Eternal Rose group performed as comedians in Singapore
Comedians performing together as part of the Htawara Hninzi troupe (Eternal Rose) in Singapore on 6 Mar 2011.

Anyeint (Burmese: အငြိမ့်; MLCTS: a ngrim.; IPA: [ʔəɲḛiɰ̃]; Burmese: အငြိမ့်; also spelt a-nyeint) is a traditional Burmese entertainment form that combines dance with instrumental music, song, and comedy routines, in theatrical performances.[1][2] It is a form of pwe, the Burmese word for traditional entertainment. While classical pwe can be quite formal and almost ritualistic, anyeint is considered light entertainment.[3]

In recent years, popular anyeint troupes such as Thee Lay Thee & Say Yaung Zoun (သီးလေးသီးနှင့်ဆေးရောင်ဆုံ) and Htawara Hninzi (ထာရဝနှင်းဆီ) have performed overseas, including Thailand, Singapore and the United States, which have large Burmese immigrant populations.[4][5] VCDs of popular troupes' performances are also widely distributed; politically insensitive ones, including Say Yaung Zoun (ဆေးရောင်ဆုံ), have been banned by Burmese authorities.[6]

  1. ^ Seekins, Donald M. (2006) "Anyeint (Anyeint Pwe)" Historical dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, page 77, ISBN 978-0-8108-5476-5
  2. ^ Myanmar Anyeint, Myanmar theatre performance, Myanmar Arts.
  3. ^ Shepherd, John (2005) "Myanmar (Burma)" Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world: Volume 5 Asia and Oceania Continuum, page 197, OCLC 493643751
  4. ^ "Thee Lay Thee & Say Yaung zon". The Irrawaddy. December 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  5. ^ Thein, Cherry (4 October 2010). "In Singapore, expatriates enjoy a traditional treat". Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  6. ^ Paung, Shah (27 December 2007). "VCD Political Comedy Draws Laughter in Rangoon". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 15 August 2011.