Mon Cultural Dance to be performed in Ivy Tech Community College

Mon Cultural Dance

Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I would like to take a privilege to say thanks for your present at our performance. Before I go through about Mon Cultural dance, let me introduce you about the Mon people. Mon is an Austro-Asiatic family and from China migrated down to South-east Asia as early as 3000 BC. They established centers of settlements in Central Burma and Central Thailand especially in the Irrawaddy Delta and Chao Phraya valley farther down to the eastern coasts of Bay of Bengal. They constructed irrigation systems and developed commercial and cultural contacts with India as early as 3rd BC. They introduced rice to Aryan in India in the exchange of religions. Theravada Buddhism has since then been a prominent religion of Mon people while Hinduism played a very important role in the elite rites and rituals. Therefore, it can be said that Mon cultures, based on centuries long ancestral traditions and developed with Indian philosophy, is considered as the forerun phenomenon of Burmese and Thai cultures.

Ladies and gentlemen, there are twelve months in Mon Lunar Calendar and it is each respectively decorated with folk-songs and folk-dances. They have folk-tales to tell their children in bedtime. They have ballads or poems to recite or sing in their wedding party. They have folk-dance to describe their life in the paddy farms. Our dance is participatory and traditional. Since it is one of the oldest and most prestigious, it is originated by the agricultural, classical, social and royal Mon for secular and sometimes for ritual purposes. It is an art form of South-east Asian heritages.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have many types of musical instruments. Our air-instruments are peerless, and drums are unparalleled. Our three-stringed violin (notice that is not six) named “Kyam” was entertained in China in 9th century AD and this type of violin is kept up to the present days. There are other various musical instruments such as gongs and bamboos. They are named “Baat”. If the instrument is attached ten gongs uprights in circle, it is called “Baat Kon Joh” meaning instrument of ten off-springs. If it is in a form of box with ends gradually rising up from the center and having a graduated series of bamboo slats fastened to two parallel cords along its length, it is called “Baat Talaa”. Haw (a clarinet), Hta Dee (small cymbals), and karaap (bamboo clappers), are also called drums and played by anyone apparently led by the leader of the orchestra. For now, you will not see these instruments but hear them in the background music during our dance is being performed.

Ladies and gentlemen, since we lost our sovereignty to the Burmans in 1757 AD, we have been a people without a country and it has been a long and hard journey for us to keep our cultures survival in Mon State, Burma. However, thank to everyone that gave a sanctuary to Mon, the exodus people from Monland, and for their cultures to shelter and rise once again here in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Ladies and gentlemen, again let me mention that we are honored all of you are with us. We are proud to have a chance to perform you our cultural dance. Please enjoy and have a good time. Thank You.