When the nat kadaws go into a trance, members of the audience begin peppering them with questions about the future and requests for advice on the best school to send their children or how to ensure success in business. The sponsor of the performance rewards them with offers of money, drink and food.
There are many similarities, as well as differences, between the world of the LGBTQ+ community and that of nat kadaws.
“Nat” can refer to a plethora of nature spirits inhabiting the natural landscape, but in the context of nat kadaw it denotes the ghosts of mythical or historical personalities who hold grudges because they died violent deaths. By the 11th century, Bagan king Anawrahta had arranged them into a pantheon of 37 Great Nats.
Cross-dressing by men has been a staple of theatre and entertainment in countries around the world. It is a feature of traditional Chinese opera and the ancient Japanese theatrical performance known as kabuki. It was commonplace in Britain during the age of Shakespeare because of a taboo on women performing on stage, and today the character of the “dame”, played by a man in drag, is a fixture of British pantomime performances at Christmas time.
In European and American cities in the early 20th century, female impersonators performing on stage – the progenitors of what are today called drag queens – were associated with an underground gay culture that came gradually into the open as the century progressed.
International drag culture has had a visible influence in Myanmar. Ko Aung Zin Soe, 23, whose drag name is “Arial James”, told Frontier he was “inspired and encouraged” by “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, an American TV series featuring creative make-up and fashion contests for gay and transgendered men and hosted by famous American drag queen, actor and entertainer RuPaul Andre Charles. Aung Zin Soe is proud of a pair of thigh-high boots he made from black cloth, on which he sewed colourful buttons and attached heels.
While performers in drag shows often emulate famous entertainment personalities and lip sync their songs, nat kadaws act as mystical brides and channel voices from the spirit world. But, while said to belong to “tradition”, nat kadaw performances themselves have been influenced by international trends.
Performances have always been marked by fast-tempo percussive music played by traditional Myanmar orchestras, as well as frenetic dancing by the nat kadaws and audience members, but these days electronic dance music is part of the mix.