H.H. Dalai Lama - Congressional Gold Medal - Cham Dance

[tenz66]

That is not tashi shopa dude. That is the ngonpa dance. They usually dance it to conclude a ceremony. It's the dance of the hunters.

[kungayeshe1]

Actually, that is Tashi Shopa, Tibet's oldest dance troupe, started in the 15th century by Tongthang Gyalpo.  He started it to raise money for his non-profit bridge building projects. Crossing rivers was very dangerous at the time and it cost many lives. So, he set out to construct many bridges and some are still around, today!

They may indeed be performing the Ngonpa Dance.

[Darjmanchee]

Dude That is Tashi Shopa!! They usually have a message in that singing.

[kungayeshe1]

Thanks for watching! :)

[dkmooninite]

For the sake of correctness, he also never received the "Congressional Medal of Honor" as that is not a civilian award. He did, however, receive the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest U.S. honor that can be bestowed upon a civilian.

[kungayeshe1]

Thanks for the note! :)

[brseavey]

I think that these are not Cham, but Tibetan Opera. Thank you for capturing this. I live in dance video heaven these days.

[kungayeshe1]

Thank you for your feedback.  The description here follows what the announcer of the event called it, which was simply 'Cham'. 'Cham' in Tibetan means 'dance' and can embody either the monastic tradition of Terma dances, or the Tibetan religious opera, which you see here. :)