Ma Htwe Lay

In this Burmese name, Ma is an honorific, not a given name.

Ma Htwe Lay
Ma Htwe Lay
Born	Khin Htwe 1867 O-toke Kone village, Kyaukse, Burma
Died	1927 (1928) (aged 60) Inwa
Nationality	Burmese
Occupation	A pioneer traditional Burmese dance performer
Years active	1879–1927
Spouse	Prince of Yanaung  • Phoe Kun  • Eikin Mg Gyi  • Kyar Nyo
Career
Dances	Kinnari-style dancing  • marionette-style dancing

Ma Htwe Lay (Template:Lang-my; pronounced [mɑʔ tʰwé lé]; born Khin Htwe, 1867 – 1927) was a pioneer Burmese traditional dancer after the times of glory of Sin Kho Ma Lay and Yindaw Ma Lay. Ma Htwe Lay is the ideal dancer of today's Burmese anyeint era and is said to be the mother of the second Mandalay dramatic art era.

Early life

Ma Htwe Lay was born in 1867 in O-toke Kone village, Kyaukse to Min Thiha the Prince of Khasi, a grandson of Bodawpaya, and his consort Ma Ma Gyi. Although her given name was Khin Htwe, she was commonly known as Htwe Lay since Hsinbyumashin, Supayagyi and Supayalat called her Htwe Lay.

Career

Kinnari-style dancing Ma Htwe Lay

At the age of 12, her father let her learn traditional dance as he knew she was interested in dancing and singing. She was first taken as a wife of Prince of Yanaung, at the age of 14. There she learned traditional dance under Sin Kho Ma Lay. Ma Htwe Lay also learned traditional Burmese dancing and singing under Yindaw Ma Lay.

She was not able to read and write so that Ma Htwe Lay was instructed by dictation by her mentors. After all, she became popular because of her proficiency in dancing and singing. Her well-known performance was Kinnari-style dance and marionette-style dance. It is said that there is no one in the field of Burmese anyeint who can be compared to Ma Htwe Lay's tremulous musical flourishes in singing (‹See Tfd›မေးရိုက်မေးဝဲ).

In 1886, Ma Htwe Lay married to a performer Phoe Kun. Thanks to her husband, she was able to learn further knowledge of traditional dance from Manusadda Shwedaung Saya Pu. Since Bo Kun died a few years later, Ma Htwe Lay married to Eikin Mg Gyi. They performed dancing in pairs, and became popular throughout Burma. After 15 years of their marriage, Eikin Mg Gyi died, and then Ma Htwe Lay married U Kyar Nyo, chief of Zeegan Taungbyone village, Inwa.

Among the operas Ma Htwe Lay had performed, the most renowned one was “Ma Pațā and Mg Dāsa.” The scene in which she performed as Patācārī who became insane after coming across the death of her parents, her brother, her husband, and her children was very well known. Another renowned one was “Sudhanu Manoharī.” Her performance in the scene “The Return of Manoharī Kinnari to Ngwedaung” was also the famous one.

The transition from performing Myaywine, the ground, to performing at the stage was first started by Ma Htwe Lay and her husband Phoe Kun. Newcomers of anyeint in the British colonial days are mostly the pupils of Ma Htwe Lay. It is Awba Thaung and Aung Bala who are her outstanding pupils. Ma Htwe Lay died in 1927.

Meritorious deed

As a meritorious deed for her husband Eikin Mg Gyi, Ma Htwe Lay donated the seven-chamber building to Thitseint Sayadaw and donated to construct a pagoda in the compound of Mahākhemikārāma Thitseint monastery, at the foot of Mandalay hill.

Legacy

Biography of Ma Htwe Lay named "Renowned Ma Htwe Lay" written by Ludu Daw Amar is prescribed to the 7th graders by the Ministry of Education (Myanmar) in the Myanmar subject as a biographical profile.