RAPA (Royal Academy of Performing Arts) was founded in 1954 by King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. Traditionally, the Lhamoi Drubchen dances go back centuries and have a d
The sacred Drubchen dances in the Tantric Buddhist tradition are a skillful means of teaching Dharma through vajra ritual. They require natural ability and many years of physical and spiritual training. The wide variety of dance styles and dance steps need enhanced levels of strength, precision, and stamina. The monks are taught to discard all notions of ordinary self and assume the divine pride of the deity whose dance they are performing.
The dances are considered mandalas. Performing in circles with the monks often spinning, the dancers symbolize reality's circular nature and reveal the unifying consciousness that can only be found within. Tantric Buddhist precepts hold that vision creates thought, thought creates action, and action creates our world.
eep spiritual significance, performed as an act of religious ritual and practice and not as a piece of entertainment. The insertion of laymen, such as this dancer, performing folk dances is a modern addition.