This dissertation is a detailed study of the movements of four traditional Karen dances (pp. 2-4). The author is keen to document them, since Karen communities are undergoing change due to greater interpenetration of modern technologies and urban cultural influences. The author identifies three patterns of dance movements: 1. Imitating everyday human gestures: ram tong captures the fun of festive events, ram krathop mai phai shows the courtship of young men and women, ram tam khao imitates people?s movement when they pound rice, and the lullaby shows Karen domestic bliss. 2. Elementary dance moves, such as placing the hands on the hip, the foot tap, or lifting the feet (p. 315). The lullaby is no longer performed. For this dance the author had to work from interviews rather than observe actual performances (p. 295).