Lungta1

LUNG-TA (The Windhorse)
Prelude
Calling of the Dieties, Part I (Wrathful)
I. Manjusi (Wisdom)
Calling of the Dieties, Part II (Peaceful)
II. Avolokiteshrava (Compassion)
Calling of the Dieties, Part III (Tibetan Orchestra)
III. Vajrapani (Action)
Epilogue (A Prayer for World Peace by Tenzin Sangbo Bista)
Choreography: Manfred Fischbeck, in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Marie Brown, Lindsay Browning, Shannon Murphy, Hedy Wyland,
Sara Yassky, and John Luna.
Music: Andrea Clearfield, commissioned and recorded by Network for New Music
Visual Art: Maureen Drdak
Lighting Design: Matt Sharp
Costumes: Sara McCorriston

The Tibetan Buddhist prayer flag is called Lung-Ta, Windhorse, after the horse which carries the prayers of the faithful upward towards the heavens. In 2008, composer Andrea Clearfield and artist Maureen Drdak trekked to Lo Monthang, a remote region of Nepal, which is one of the worlds last remaining enclave of pure Tibetan culture, to research the music and art of this society. Network for New Music had commissioned them to create a piece that also involved the collaboration with Manfred Fischbeck and the Group Motion Dance Company. Lung-Ta was premiered on March 6, 2009 at the University of the Arts.

The choreography was developed closely following the structure of the musical and visual compositions. Although using essentially an abstract movement language, the dance took inspiration from the imagery and sounds of the Tibetan Buddhist music, art and symbolism such as the prayer flags, the windhorse, the iconography of clouds, sword and flower, mudras of Tibetan Buddhist prayers, the ideas of peaceful and wrathful and the deities of wisdom, compassion and action. The creation of the dance unfolded organically along the prana threads of the music and the prayer flag paintings. Incorporating the use of Tibetan drums and scarves to form a prayer flag at the end, the dance understands itself and the entire work as a prayer for global peace.

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