 Buddhist DancesDance is an aspect of Buddhism that is not widely known in the West. As Buddhism spread from India, its views and practices encompassed the cultural heritages of its host countries, including their traditions of dance and movement. As such Buddhist sacred dance traditions are rich, diverse and often spectacular. Some of their lineages can be traced back over a thousand years and form part of Buddhist practice rituals. In other cases, these dances, while not part of the sacred ritual, are performances that seek to convey the central messages of Buddhism. It is rare to see authentic sacred Buddhist dances that are not in situ. The Many Faces of Buddhism brings together 4 different authentic Buddhist dance traditions to perform in London. Theatre Noh, the Drikung Kagyu Nuns of Samtenling Monastery, the Dehimaduwa Bandara Clan Family of Kandy and Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya will perform over a single day at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Short pre-show talks and post-show discussions will be held in with each performance. Joseph Houseal of Core of Culture Dance Preservation will introduce, explore and discuss the subject of Buddhist Sacred Dances traditions in an afternoon talk at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Buddhist Sacred Dance Traditions – A talk by Joseph Houseal Wednesday, April 29, 2009 1:15 – 2:00 PM Victoria and Albert Museum A Day of Rare Buddhist Dances – Two cycles of four Buddhist dances held throughout the day, with pre- performance informational sessions Friday, May 1, 2009 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Victoria and Albert Museum Theatre Noh
Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya
Enquiry Victoria and Albert Museum Tel: +44 020 7942 2211 www.vam.ac.uk
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Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya performs |
