Marionette theatre or yok-thei pwe enjoyed a pre-eminent place in Myanmars performing arts tradition in the 18th and 19th centuries. The movements created by master puppeteers u...

Marionette theatre or yok-thei pwe enjoyed a pre-eminent place in Myanmars performing arts tradition in the 18th and 19th centuries. The movements created by master puppeteers using the colorfully garbed and carefully assembled jointed wooden puppets in fact influenced the development of zat pwe, dance-drama later performed by live actors. Even today Burmese classical dance shows a pronounced similarity to marionette movements.