Elista, Kalmykia, Russian Federation : Artistes from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) participated in the gala evening in honour of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th birth anniversary held at Basangov State Drama Theatre in Elista, capital city of the Russian Buddhist Republic of Kalmykia (Russia) on 3 July. The event was part of a Festival marking the 80th anniversary of the Tibetan Buddhists spiritual leader and the 10th anniversary of the Central Khurul (Buddhist Temlpe) of Kalmykia “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni”. The organizers of the Festival took their inspiration from the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who constantly emphasises the importance of harmony and mutual understanding between people of different nationalities, if we want this world to be a peaceful and happy place.
The officials from the Republic’s government authorities, vice-prime minister of Kalmykia, and minister of culture of Kalmykia were among the guests as well as the representatives of the different national communities living in Kalmykia, and members of the inter-religious council.
The Basangov State Drama Theatre was full as the group of eight Tibetan artists performed traditional songs and dances. The public burst into an enthusiastic applause after each composition of the program that included traditional dances from the different regions of Tibet, The Black Hat Dance and the Snow Lion Dance, much loved by the public all over the world. The other participants of the gala concert were a group of dancers from the Kalmykia State Dance Theatre “Oirats”. They presented colorful dances from all over the world, including Kalmykia, Russia, Mongolia, and Tibet.
The Honorary Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Head Lama of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche told in his opening remarks that this concert was a long life offering to the root teacher of the Russian Buddhists, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He expressed hope that such cultural exchanges between Russian and Tibetan people will continue in the future and invited the TIPA artists to come again. The other speakers reminded about the historical relations between Kalmykia and Tibet and the importance of the preservation and development of mutually beneficial cultural contacts. They said that the performance of the TIPA artists was a unique opportunity for the Russian public to discover the authentic culture of the Tibetan people.
During their visit to Kalmykia, the Tibetan artists gave a master class to the dancers from “Oirats” theater. The minister of culture Mr. Hongor Elbikov thanked the TIPA members for sharing their skills and suggested that maybe in the future they could include some traditional Kalmyk dances in their program as well.
– Report filed by Office of Tibet, Russia –
