In the living room with apple green walls of her home, Ohn Mynt throws words of encouragement, then juggling clubs to the little girl, who multiplies acrobatics on her balance board.
“You can’t play when you’re scared, nervous or angry. The mind should be translucent like glass,” advises Ohn Myint, 71.
This former worker got into it in his spare time about thirty years ago after a stroke, to regain the mobility of his limbs. He now teaches his tricks to his granddaughter, with whom he performs.
“Ywal makes me happy and stronger,” said 12-year-old Han Myint Mo, who trains three hours a day in addition to going to school.
Contrary to Western tradition, performers wield grapefruit-sized balls with primarily their feet, knees, shoulders, and elbows, sometimes adding props, such as a knife.
Their routine dates back to the beginning of the 19th century, when the acrobats of the royal court juggled with blown glass globes, called “Ywal” in Burmese.
In the chaotic country, after the February 1, 2021 coup, this tradition is struggling to survive, without federation or support from the military government.
– Three million views –
Burma prefers the woven rattan ball of Chinlon, the national sport which is practiced with the feet, and as a team.
Han Myint Mo and Ohn Mynt find their audiences in shopping centers and schools around Yangon, where they perform up to three or four times a month.
On social networks too, they capture the attention: a video of the little girl who connects the prowess has more than three million views on Facebook.
In a brown jumpsuit, she balances a ball on the blade of a knife she has between her teeth, while hula-hooping and juggling three clubs. With three bullets lined up on top of his head.
“I’m very happy to see the new generation practicing Ywal,” says Ohn Myint, who also coaches the granddaughter of one of his friends.
The discipline he demands put off more than one, starting with his three children. He says he lost hope, until his granddaughter asked him to teach her art, after seeing him train.
“Sometimes when I try hard tricks, I make a lot of mistakes. I feel bad and argue with my grandfather,” concedes Han Myint Mo.
“But he reassures me, we keep trying, and in the end, it works,” she continues.
“I want to become a Ywal master like my grandfather,” she explains. “I want to be better than him”.
