Performance of Tibetan dance and music group in Seattle
Tibetan performing arts mainly includes drama, musical performances and lhamo, the traditional Tibetan opera style.
In Tibetan stages, stage is mainly performed on a wooden stage. Dance, chant and music are often performed in combination with colored masks, which sometimes depict a character. Hereby the color red a king and yellow symbolizes a deity or lama. A performance often begins with a purge and blessing of the stage. A narrator then sings a summary of a story, after which the performance begins. Another ritual of blessing is performed at the end of the performance.
The Tibetan opera was founded in the 14th century by Thangtong Gyalpo, a lama and bridge builder. Gyalpo recruited seven girls and organized the first performance to raise funds to build bridges that needed to provide better connections in Tibet. Tradition continued and lhamo is still held on festive events like the Linka and Shoton festival.
In addition to the Tibetan Autonomous Region, the performing arts are mainly promoted by the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, specializing in the traditional operating style lhamo. Lhamo is a combination of dance, chant and dance music such as toeshey and nangma. Nangma is still popular in karaoke bars in Lhasa today. The institute was set up by Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, India in August 1959, and is aimed at promoting and maintaining Tibetan performing arts and Tibet's artistic legacy. Also see
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