China's Tibetan ethnic group is highly adept at song and dance, and most Tibetan's, both men and women, and the old and young, can perform one or several songs and dances.

Tibetan folk songs, which are rich in content and form, are classified as pastoral songs, wine songs, love songs, and work songs, as well as Batang xianzi which is popular in eastern Tibet and is often performed together with xianzi dances. Audiences become intoxicated listening to the melodious songs of the dancers who perform while gracefully waving their long sleeves. Citizens in Lhasa love step dance, in which dancers, performing to the accompaniment of the six-stringed qin (a musical instrument), create lively rhythm, and rapidly changing sounds with their steps. The dance give audiences a feeling of lucidity, forcefulness and happiness.

Tibetans villagers living in the countryside often sing and dance around a bonfire, participating in what is known as the circle dance. The men stand in one circle and the women in another. The best male and female singers, who act as the leaders of each circle, perform antiphonal songs while continuously moving from the left to the right. The match is lost if one or the other repeats a song.

Other traditional dances in Tibet include a bold and unconstrained sgor-bro dance, and the monastery dance which has a strong religious connotation.

Tibetan folk songs, which are rich in content and form, are classified as pastoral songs, wine songs, love songs, and work songs, as well as Batang xianzi which is popular in eastern. Tibet and is often performed together with xianzi dances.

Tibetan opera, which originated in the 15th century, is a comprehensive performing art which integrates song, dance and music into an integral whole. Princess Wencheng and the Nepalese Princess, and various other traditional repertoires, have been performed from ancient to modern times. Both the Tibet Autonomous Region and various prefectures have organized professional Tibetan Opera troupes. In addition, a number of amateur troupes can be found in many Tibetan villages. For example, Maizhokunggar County in the suburbs of Lhasa is home to more than 20 amateur troupes. Since the 1980s, a joint Tibetan Opera performance has been held in Lhasa each summer during the Sour Milk Drinking Festival. The festival provides Tibetan artists with an opportunity to learn from each other, and to promote the development of Tibetan Opera. Lovers of Tibetan Opera flock to Lhasa from across the autonomous region to enjoy various Tibetan operas and, as a result, the festival is most often referred to as the Tibet Opera Festival.

In recent years the Tibet Song and Dance Ensemble, as a friendship envoy of the Chinese people, has been invited to perform in a number of countries and regions, including Japan, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Belgium, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Wherever they went, they were warmly welcomed and highly praised by local audiences.

Tibetan artists won resounding applause for their excellent performance at the Malin International Art Festival held in Brussels, Belgium, in 1991. The chairman of the Festival Organizing Committee said, "We were amazed at the excellent performance of the Tibet Song and Dance Ensemble and the superb skill of the singers and dancers. We enjoyed the music and dances with Tibetan characteristics and were deeply impressed by the excellent ancient Oriental culture."

That very same year, the troupe received one resounding encore after another for its performance of the Zhaxilugar, the last item on the program which featured opera and dances performed by dancers wearing auspicious masks, and portraying fairy maidens and yaks from Tibet. A local correspondent told Baijig, who performed the part of the yak, "Excellent! It was really wonderful!"

The Tibet Song and Dance Ensemble visited eight cities in France where they gave 28 performances. The troupe also performed at the 34th International Folk Art Festival, and during the festival parade, numerous audiences joined the Tibetan actors and actresses merrily singing and dancing, and crowds of onlookers thronged the streets. At the end of the performance of On the Roof of the World, which included artists from Peru, the chairman of the Art Festival climbed to the stage saying: "Just like all of you, I have never before seen such wonderful Chinese folk songs and dances." He went on to say that the troupe's song and dance items were indeed excellent, and both the performers and their performances were first class.

The Third French TV Station offered a commentary entitled "The Road to Tibet".

A short time later, the Tibetan artists visited Finistere, France, where they presented the largest number of performances. A local newspaper offered the following description of the performances, "The songs and music were harmonious and melodious, and the costumes were splendid and dazzling. Their beautiful folk songs and dances carried audiences to the distant roof of the world. The attractive female dancers performed gracefully, with the eyes seemingly smiling as if they were expressing their heartfelt happiness. The sonorous songs by the male and female singers echoed throughout the hall." The Third French TV Station offered a commentary entitled "The Road to Tibet," which says, "The Tibet Song and Dance Ensemble has gained great popularity with the people by exhibiting its extensive collection of traditional culture and art from all parts of Tibet. Therefore its performances fully display the rich folk art of Tibet."

Following the troupe's first performance in Bonn, Germany, many members of the audience gathered in the hall to discuss the show. One gentleman commented, "1 didn't know much about Tibet before. I thought Tibetan culture was backward and its arts were primitive. Today I was indeed surprised to find that Tibetan songs and dances are so poetic and attractive." The scene in Schleswig-Holstein was even more moving when at the end of the performance two "fairy maidens" tossed a long hada, the symbol of friendship and blessing, to the audience. This was responded to by yet another resounding ovation, and the Tibetan artists answered curtain calls for well over eight minutes. Following the show, many audiences climbed the stage requesting that the artists autograph their programs.

(This article on page 22, No. 21, 1994)