Touching divine heights with Himalayan dance

A sense of the sacred is embedded in this Buddhist art of Nepal and Bhutan, which is prevalent in other parts of the Himalayas, too. One distinctive and important mark of the region is its unique spiritual dances.

In July and August, Bangkok's Thousand Stars Foundation will present the Sacred Newar Tantric Dance for Mindfulness and Inner Awakening classes, conducted by Thanapol Virulhakul.

The young ajaan recently demonstrated a few moves at the foundation's centre at Lat Phrao Soi 11. He slowly bent his legs, extended his arms and twirled his hands, making elaborate mudras (hand gestures) in what looked like an ethereal blend of tai-chi, ram-wong, yoga and Thai classical dancing.

A blog associated with Thousand Stars says, "Believing in dance as a tool for mind development and performance as a ritual, Thanapol went to Nepal to study and research Charya nritya, which means 'dance as a spiritual discipline', and is the ritual dance of Tantric Buddhism." The overseas experience was an eye-opener for Thanapol, who said he experiences a soothing sense of great awareness and connectivity with the world when he dances.

He has also trained in many kinds of other dance forms, such as Contemporary Dance with Manop Meejumrat (Thailand) and Patrice Leroy (France), Meditation Techniques for Performer with Joel Gluck (the United States), Aerial Acrobatics with Claude Saint-Dizer (France), Javanese dance and Thai classical dance.

"In Vajrayana, we believe that everyone has a chance of becoming a Buddha, and this doesn't have to be through meditation, but can be through dance and music," Thanapol said. He also displayed the elegant, finger-stretching mudra for giving - extending a palms-up gesture to the audience.

The Vajrayana school refers to the "Diamond" vehicle, which reflects the indestructibility of its teachings. The school has many dance traditions which, like an elaborate mandala of coloured sand, is meant to be enjoyed only for a short period.

He adds that the 1,000-year-old dance was once seen only by monks, but that over the last few decades, it has been opened up to the Nepalese and tourists in Nepal. "If you have any problems in your mind, just move your hands with concentration. You don't need to keep count of going up or down or left or right, but just feel it."

The repetitive, meditative dance is meant to holistically bring about mental relaxation and greater physical strength.

According to age-old Newar Buddhists' traditions, humans are thought to be divine when they are at their deepest sense of awareness.

Dancing is one vehicle that can be used to reignite this sense of spirituality and better the interaction between body, speech and mind.