This dance originates from the time of the Pyu kingdoms .the dance style is slow and sedate.
In the oil lamp dance the traditional oil lamp offered to the Lord Buddha is a lighted wick of cotton soaked in an oil-filled earthenware saucer is the centerpiece of the dance. The Rakhine people of western Burma incorporate the oil lamp dance in many of their traditional dances, mostly devotional, to the Buddha.
The performer's hands are always upturned (to retain the oil). Elders who remember performing with traditional lamps say that the secret is to not let the lamp drop while, at the same time, conveying particular expressions with various attitudes of the hands and legs. "It is almost an ordeal", they added.
In the Oil Lamp Dance, a lighted candle is held in the hands, which are facing up. The dance is a solemn ritual dance which honors the Lord Buddha. Traditionally, the oil lamp offered to the Lord Buddha is a lighted wick of cotton soaked in an oil-filled earthenware saucer. The dance can be found particularly in western Burma among the Rakhine people.
Candle dance or oil lamp dance, features dancers carrying lighted oil lamps or candles on their palms paying homage and reverence to the Buddha. The suppleness and skill of the dancer enables her to move hands, feet, body and head without upsetting the lamp or extinguishing the flames during the performance.