Ancient Dances Today
Joseph Houseal
13 September 2025
Joseph Houseal’s presentation for Buddhistdoor Global’s 30th Anniversary Symposium in Vancouver on 3–4 September 2025
Early Explorers and Their Encounter with Buddhism, Part Three: Dance Insight
Joseph Houseal
9 August 2025
The early explorers treated in this three-part article represent a wide range of expertise, from painting to linguistics, dance to cartography. The 15 explorers evoked
Messengers of Mind, Part Two: Liminal Lives
Joseph Houseal
12 July 2025
Joseph Houseal digs deeper into the history of cultural explorers and the West’s early encounters with Buddhism
Messengers of Mind, Cultural Explorers and the Encounter with Buddhism, Part One: A Gallery of Explorers
Joseph Houseal
14 June 2025
Joseph Houseal explores the adventurer-scholars, mystic-wanderers, and artist-seekers behind the West’s early exposures to Buddhism
The Attan
Joseph Houseal
10 May 2025
Joseph Houseal explores the ancient cultural ties that connect Pashtun attan with Buddhist cham.
Isadora Duncan, Prajwal Vajracharya, and the Dancers of Huai-nan
Joseph Houseal
11 January 2025
Joseph Houseal delves into the spiritual and aesthetic depths of the human spirit, expressed through dance
Buddhist Nuns of Dorangthang Dance a New-Age Vision of Dakini Activity
Karen Greenspan
29 November 2024
Karen Greenspan offers insights into a contemporary manifestation of an ancient dance tradition in Bhutan
Mystical Dances in the Kingdom of Bhutan, Part 2: Cham is Deity Yoga in Action
Joseph Houseal
9 November 2024
Joseph Houseal continues his three-part exploration of the manifestations of sacred ritual dance in Bhutan
Mystical Dances in the Kingdom of Bhutan, Part 1: A Black Magic Dance at the Core of Bhutan’s Founding
Joseph Houseal
14 September 2024
Joseph Houseal presents a three-part exploration of the manifestations of sacred ritual dance in Bhutan.
Buddhist Culture: Yangchenma Arts & Music to Host Four-Part Online Series on Himalayan Dance Traditions
Craig Lewis
21 February 2024
Yangchenma Arts & Music will host a four-part live-streamed series of talks on the ancient dance traditions of Himalayan cultures in March.
Writing Dance in Stone, Part One
Joseph Houseal
17 February 2024
BDG columnist Joseph Houseal explores the historical legacies and heritage of ritual dance traditions from the world of Buddhism and beyond
Dancing a Display of Emptiness: Thrangu Nuns Make History
Karen Greenspan
28 September 2023
Karen Greenspan visits Nepal, where she engages with a contemporary manifestation of an ancient tradition of Buddhist dance