The Vesak Festival in Vienna was organized by the Austrian Buddhist Religious Society and took place at the Peace Pagoda on the Danube. Our dancers offered the dance MfT 10.07 Neykor གནས་སྐོར།, Pilgrimage to Sacred Places.
Photos by Yulia Petrova, Lubomir Mishna, Lourdes, Monika Marcik, Gisela Martinez, Sharina Techer, Carlos Garcia
Photos from the exam
The supervision and exam for the students of the first cycle of Khaita Educational Program took place on April 17–19 in Dzamling Gar, Tenerife.
Examinees explained simple and complex dances, shared their understanding of Khaita principles, knowledge of its history, goals and other aspects, and explained the basic Khaita movements.
The final task was to study and perform together a dance with complex choreography, Tashi Thogang Nyiwod (བཀྲ་ཤིས་མཐོ་སྒང་ཉི་འོད།, Auspicious Highland Sunshine), which was especially challenging due to the students living in different countries. We performed the dance on the graduation ceremony.
Newly graduated instructors Eva Leick and Martina Krejčová share sharing their impressions and a story of intensive preparation and successful passing of the exam in The Mirror article.
Graduation ceremony: video and photos (below)
Congratulations to the new instructors:
Having a great time together while preparing to the exam and after it.
After exam we went to Khaita picnic on Teide, and tried to shoot the video for to complex dances — Jidkai Trinsang and Choelka Sum. Though the weather was not favourable, we enjoyed dancing, talking, delicious food and great company.
Khaita Wood Dragon, watercolour by Cindy Faulkner
The Tibetan dragon (or Druk) is a symbol of power and of hidden, intangible knowledge. Being invisible, he manifests himself through sound and energy. The dragon thunders in the sky with the sound of compassion that awakens us from delusion and increases what we can understand through hearing. Thus, it is said that dragons bring forth our awareness towards the things that we cannot see.
“When spring begins, one hears thunderstorms. Live on! When this happens, rain falls, and rain is very important for nature, for maturing and for life. And rainbows, lights, and colours appear everywhere. … thunder, rain, and rainbows appear, which are all typical manifestations of the dragon.”
— from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s commentary to the song Ema Lha Gyallo
Losar is a great time for dancing and singing to bring fortune and peace to the new year. Below are videos and photos from this year Losar performances and celebrations.
Venice Dragon
On February 3, in Samdurbling there was a practice day dedicated to the Khaita Joyful Dances. We studied Khawa Bap, a dance with complex choreography, connecting the movements with the meaning of the song lyrics. We also danced a repertoire of simple dances without explanation to really get into the ‘flow’.
Time: 10:00-12:30 and 14:30-17:00
Location: Friedrich-Kaiser-Gasse 74, 1160 Vienna
Contribution: free donation
Enquiries and registration (by 27 January 2023) to: evaleick@hotmail.com or +436649240499
Please bring comfortable clothes that allow you to move well. No street shoes in the studio – all types of dance or gymnastics shoes that provide good support are recommended for dancing. Barefoot is possible, but can be disadvantageous for certain spinning movements.
October 8, 2023
In the beautiful ling of Vienna, Samdrubling, we practice Khaita – Joyful Dances every Monday from 18:00-20:00.
We are a small but dedicated group of dancers who are curious about discovering new dances and exploring the meaning of the Tibetan lyrics. Led by Eva Leick and Anna Jiresch, we focus on a new dance each week and expand our repertoire of steps and choreographies in a joyful way. Everyone is welcome!
Contact: +436649240499 (Eva) or evaleick@hotmail.com
Address: Friedrich-Kaiser-Gasse 74, 1160 Wien
As part of the ‘Day of Open Temple Doors’, Samdrubling hosted an open Khaita – Joyful Dances workshop on 8th October 2023.
People had the opportunity to watch a short presentation of Khaita prepared by the local group and learnt several dances. The dancing experience directly introduced participants to important aspects of Khaita, revolving around bodily coordination, presence, collaboration and joy.
For more information, please the website of Samdrubling: https://www.samdrubling.at/
July 3-9, 2023
We are happy to invite you to participate in the Special Workshop on Khaita Joyful Dances, in Vienna or online on July 8-9.
This workshop is a unique opportunity to experience the Khaita spirit in an international group of Khaita experts.
It will happen as a part of the 3-year Khaita training, final year students teach, under the supervision of the course director Adriana dal Borgo.
You will learn the basic steps and simple circle dances. The workshop is suitable for beginners as well as for slightly advanced dancers.
Course location: Samdrubling, Friedrich-Kaiser-Gasse 74, 1160 Vienna
Course times: Sat July 8, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Sunday July 9, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Course fee: donation according to financial possibilities – approx. 25€ for both days.
Course language: (simple) English
Please bring: comfortable clothes to sweat in (does not have to be sportswear). In the studio no street shoes – for dancing we recommend all kinds of dance or gymnastic shoes that give good support. Barefoot is possible, but can be disadvantageous for certain turning movements.
Info & Registration: wien@dzogchen.at
khaita@atiyogafoundation.org
Adriana Dal Borgo – a.dalborgo@atiyogafoundation.org
Elena Dumcheva – e.dumcheva@atiyogafoundation.org
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