MON DANCE GAINS POPULARITY ON THAI SOIL

(By Taramon / Three Pagodas Pass: January 10, 2004)

The Mon cultural dance gains popularity among Thai societies according to a local community from the Thai Burma border town.

The Sangkhalaburi based Mon Culture Restoration Organization has 20 young
dancers who are enthusiastic to perform it well even though they cannot read
and write in their own language.

"All of the young girls are between 8 to 13 years old", said a founder and dance trainer Ms Mi Yin Sein. "They cannot read Mon and it's so difficult when we teach the songs to perform with the dance", she added.

The Mon children can dance very well but the MCRO has difficulty to recruit singers due to the language barrier.

Most members are not granted Thai citizenship status and face difficulty to travel to other areas in the country to entertain the wider Thai Mon community even though some communities have requested the group in the Kingdom.

Mon Culture Restoration Organization was founded in Sangkhlaburi, Karnchanaburi Province in Thailand last year with an aim to preserve and promote the old tradition and was invited by local authorities to entertain with other Thai cultural groups such as on the King's birthday and other events.