Tibetan Book of the Dead, Part Three: One Last Dance
Sometimes, dance is what philosophy looks like. Only rarely in my long years of dance research has a painted image been so arresting with its
Tibetan Book of the Dead, Part Two: The Hour of Our Death
The first metaphysical thing I learned about Buddhist Cham dance was that the same monstrous deities appearing in the annual Cham performance will appear again
The Great Shravasti Buddhist Cultural Assembly
Shravasti was a dynamo of a city in the ancient world, home to nearly 1 million people in the Buddha’s lifetime during the 6th century
Invisible Twice: A Lost Dance Mural
The organization I direct, Core of Culture, which had already worked with Tantric Buddhist monks in other parts of the Himalayas, was invited to undertake
Finding Excellence, Part 5: A Buddhist Land
There are not so many places left on Earth where the population is virtually 100 per cent Tantric Buddhist. Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, India,
Finding Excellence, Part 4: What Buddhists Do
Mutual amazement at what the other does not find extraordinary is a situation I regularly encounter when speaking with monk dancers. They usually cannot believe
Finding Excellence, Part 3: Who is the Best Dancer Here?
Venture into remote places and you will find a joyful purity. During our recent summer fieldwork in Himachal Pradesh, northern India, we distributed copies of
Finding Excellence, Part 2: A Tradition of Transmission
One needs to take a long view—one that spans vast distances and many centuries—to appreciate the context of the Cham dance traditions that were preserved
Finding Excellence, Part 1: Of Course They Don’t Talk About It
Researching endangered dance traditions as I do, it is usual to chronicle the problems, challenges of discovery, along with the qualities of vanishing practices. So
Stick Dance, Devil Dance, Part 2: Dance Lineages of Bhutan
In 2003, Core of Culture’s dance research expedition team began a five-year project to survey and document the Buddhist dances of the Himalayan kingdom of
Stick Dance, Devil Dance, Part 1: The Rockettes
A dance by any other name . . . would probably be better described, when looking at ancient and Asian dancing, including the dances of