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Press Release
2009-03-19
A Day of Rare Buddhist Dances at the V&AAs part of The Many Faces of Buddhism, a series of arts and cultural events in London drawing on Buddhist cultural traditions, the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation will present A Day of Rare Buddhist Dances at the V&A on Friday 1 May 2009. Curated by Joseph Houseal, Executive Director of Core of Culture Dance Preservation based in Chicago, who are the producers of A Day of Rare Buddhist Dances, the performances will take place in the V&A’s spectacular Raphael Gallery, and will be presented on two special stages: a recreation of a Noh stage and a Sri Lankan folk altar. The day will include four different Buddhist dance traditions, showcasing 17 actors from the Noh Theatre (Japan); 11 Drikung Kagyu nuns from the Samtenling Monastery in Dehra Dun (India); 8 dancers and 4 drummers from the Dehimaduwa Bandra Clan of Kandy (Sri Lanka); and Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, the Newar Tantric Buddhist priest (Nepal). The lineages of these rare Buddhist sacred dance traditions can be traced back over a thousand years and form part of Buddhist ritual practices. It is estimated that there are only 1000 Noh actors and only 30 Drikung Kagyu nuns who perform the dances left in the world. A Day of Rare Buddhist Dances will provide a unique opportunity to watch these few surviving examples of authentic sacred Buddhist dances, some of which have never before been performed in the West. In addition, the Sri Lankan Suvisi Vivaranya ritual has not been performed in Sri Lanka for over 50 years, and has been revived as part of this project. Robert YC Ho, Director of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation and Programme Director of The Many Faces of Buddhism: “We are proud to support the work of the Core of Culture Dance Preservation and the presentation of these rare Buddhistdances in London, as part of our commitment to deepening understanding ofBuddhism through arts and culture.” In conjunction with the performances, there will be a talk by Joseph Houseal on Wednesday 29 April 2009. The distinguished Asian Dance Specialist will introduce, explore and discuss the wider subject of Buddhist sacred dance heritage. A Day of Rare Buddhist Dances Presented by the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation
Notes to Editors Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation is a Hong Kong based private philanthropic organization. The Foundation has a mission to foster and support Chinese arts and culture, in particular cross-cultural understanding between China and the world. It has taken an active role in supporting arts programmes internationally since its inauguration in 2005. Among the Foundation’s recent activities have been the endowment and naming of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at Stanford University in October 2008; The Dragon’s Gift – The Sacred Arts of Bhutan, a conservation project which includes a major touring exhibition of some of Bhutan’s most sacred Buddhist objects; and support of major exhibitions such as Cai Guo Qiang: I Want to Believe at the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum New York in 2008; and Britain Meets the World: 1714–1830 at the Palace Museum in Beijing in 2007. The Foundation also sponsors overseas tours of the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan. The Many Faces of Buddhism, presented by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, is a season of arts and cultural events taking place in London from 25 April – 17 May 2009. The series includes visual arts, dance, film, talks as well as an international forum on Buddhism and the Arts Today at the V&A. Core of Culture Dance Preservation Core of Culture Dance Preservation is a non-profit organization committed to safeguarding Intangible World Heritage. The emphasis is on ancient dance and endangered movement traditions in the healing, meditation and martial arts. Core of Culture initiates, supports and documents projects to enhance the appreciation and preservation of these rare forms of movement.  Top
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