Ma Eindarai Kyaw practices her traditional dance moves last week at a training camp for competition contestants from Yangon Division.

MA Eindarai Kyaw is 10 and already a seasoned performer at the annual Myanmar Traditional Cultural Performing Arts Competition, which begins in Yangon on October 14.

This will be the sixth year she has competed as a dancer in the competition, held each October since 1993 to sustain traditional culture and to encourage young people to develop an appreciation of Myanmar’s performing arts.

Ma Eindarai Kyaw, who won a third prize in 2001 and first prize last year, has been practising five times a day for the past six months to prepare for this year’s competition.

She has been learning traditional dance since she was four under Daw Ohn Yee, from the University of Culture.

“The hardest part about learning traditional dance is to time the movements correctly to the music,” said Ma Eindarai Kyaw, from Yangon’s South Okkalapa township.

For her and the other contestants, there is a deep pride in participating in what is a festival of traditional culture.

“I was taught to love traditional culture by my parents,” said Ma Ei Ei Hlaing, 16, who will be competing in the contemporary song contest this year, the sixth time she has participated in the competition.

She was a contestant from 1998 to 2002 but did not compete last year because she was studying for her matriculation (Grade 11) examinations.

Ma Ei Ei Hlaing, from Yangon’s Thaketa township, has been practising eight hours a day for the competition since the examinations finished and is hopeful of winning first prize in her category this year.

Her record indicates that she has a good chance of achieving her goal.

She was first in her category in the Dhamma (Lord Buddha’s teachings) song contest in 1998, in the classical song competitions in 1999 and 2000 and in the contemporary song quest in 2002. Ma Ei Ei Hlaing was placed second in the classical song contest in 2002 and third in the Dhamma song competition in 2001.

“I prefer classical songs because they are deep and profound and challenging to perform,” she said.

She has been coached in singing since she was eight by the private teachers U Tun Shwe, Daw Tin Tin Win and U Min Naing.

“I was nervous the first time I performed in front of a big audience but my competition experience has made me much more confident,” Ma Ei Ei Hlaing said. Another young contestant with years of experience in the competitions is Phoe La Pyaye, 13, who plays traditional instruments.

Phoe La Pyaye, who has participated in the competition each year since 1996, will compete on four instruments this year: saing (a drum circle, played solo or by a group), xylophone, doebat (two-headed drum slung around the neck) and ouzi (long drum).

Perhaps his best chance of success is on his favourite instrument, the saing, for which he has won seven first prizes as a member of a group and two first prizes as a solo player. He has also won a first prize on the xylophone and a second on the ouzi.

“I began learning the saing when I was three,” Phoe La Pyaye said.

“I inherited a passion for playing traditional instruments from my late father, who was a leader of a saing group,” he said.

“I enjoy playing traditional instruments because they produce a soft and pleasant melody.”

There will be hundreds of contestants in this year’s competition, which will be held at the National Theatre and four other venues in Yangon and ends on November 1.

“A total of 509 contestants from Yangon Division have entered in this year’s competition, up from 436 last year,” said the secretary of the Yangon Division’s organising committee for the competition, Major Thant Zin Oo.

The number of contestants from the other divisions and states is not known yet, he said.

Contestants from Yangon Division have been refining their performances at a training camp held at the Kyaikkasan compound from September 18 to October 12, said Major Thant Zin Oo.

As well as competitions for dancing, singing and playing traditional instruments, there are also contests for musical competitions.

There are four levels in the competitions: professional, amateur, higher education and basic education, which is divided into three age groups: under 10, under 15 and under 20.