Table of Contents

Prologue

Part One
Cham: Sacred Monastic Dance
Entering the World of Cham
Vajrakilaya, the Dance of the Three-Sided Ritual Dagger
Cham and the Development of Tibetan Religion
Representative Chams
Skeleton Dance
Deer Dance
Black Hat Dance
Old White Man from Mongolia
Mongolian and Other Chams
Kalachakra, the Wheel of Time
Cham Gar
Essential Elements of Cham
Preparation and Initiation
Three Main Phases of Cham Performance
Mandala and Mantra
Dance Steps and Mudras
Costumes
Masks
Characters
Music
Musical Instruments
Festivals
Purpose and Interpretation

Part Two
Achi Lhamo: Folk Dance and Operatic Traditions
Origins and Development of Achi Lhamo
Early Origins
Thangtong Gyalpo
Development of Achi Lhamo
Major Operas
Drowa Sangmo
Gyalsa Bhelsa
King Gesar of Ling
Pema Woebar
Rechung U Pheb (Rechung's Travels to Central Tibet with Milarepa)
Sukyi Nyima
Thepa Tenpa
Chungpo Dhonyoe Dhondup
Nangsa Woebum (Obum)
Essential Elements of Achi Lhamo
Phases of Achi Lhamo Performance
Types of Performers
Singing
Music and Instruments
Folk Dance Styles
Lhamo Gar
Opera Seasons

Epilogue
The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts
New Forms
Cham Today

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Ellen Pearlman has been a Buddhist practitioner for thirty years under Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and has studied with Buddhist teachers in the Far East and the Americas. She traveled to England, Germany, India, and Russia in preparation for this book. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

"The Buddhist search for inner peace pervades almost every aspect of Tibetan life. One facet of that heritage that has received comparatively less attention is Tibet's sacred dance with its vivid depiction of such fundamental themes as the triumph of virtue and the supremacy of truth. This colorful book serves to redress that lapse."
*His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama*

“Tibetan Sacred Dance is the first book ever written for a general audience on this fascinating subject. With beautiful photographs and accessible text, Ellen Pearlman takes us through the myriad forms and rich traditions of Tibetan dance and music.”
*Valrae Reynolds, curator of the Asian Collections, The Newark Museum*

“Extraordinarily well researched and in depth.”
*Nugodup Tsering, former director of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts*

" . . . provides an important glimpse into Tibetan culture, history, and spiritual practice as it contributes to world culture."
*E. C. Ramirez, Choice, June 2003*

" . . . a well written narrative and beautiful photographs of a culture that is rarely seen by Westerners."
*Dance Spirit magazine, May/June 2003*

". . . an engaging invitation garnering immediate access to the multidimensional and vital realm of Tibetan dance and ritual."
*Laura Simms, Parabola, August 2003*

". . . examines the history, rituals, and iconography of cham, touching on how the traditional forms are influencing Tibetan artists today."
*Tricycle, Winter 2003*

"This is the first book of its kind, and it can serve as an iconographic gold mine for many specialists."
*Isabelle Henrion-Dourcy, Harvard University Journal of Asian Studies, Feb 2006*

"Tibetan Sacred Dance is a clear achievement in the documentation and preservation of Tibetan Buddhist dance history."
*The North Brooklyn Community News, June 5-19, 2003*