Wangma Dance Company performs Shambhala at Beijing Dance Academy in September 2012. Photo: Courtesy of Liu Haidong

Shambhala, meaning a place of peace, tranquility and happiness, is the most commonly known word in the Tibetan language. But there is a dance drama called Shambhala that is not like any of the commonly seen traditional Tibetan dances. It has folk elements, of course, but its choreography is quite modern. And just like its name implies, Shambhala takes its audience to an unworldly tranquil place.

Created by Tibetan dancer and choreographer Wanma Jiancuo, Shambhala now comes back to China after wrapping up a tour in the US last month. The troupe has performances scheduled in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Xiamen starting from late March.

Not a gala's Tibetan dance

Tibetan dance may sound familiar to many people, as they have become a regular feature of various televised galas. But to anyone that has visited the Tibetan countryside, these gala performances seem artificial.

"These dances that are made only for some gala express one feeling - 'we are happy.' But in fact, dance can express many more feelings," Wanma explained to the Global Times in a face-to-face interview.

Echoing that opinion is Dance magazine editor and critic Liang Geluo who said the folk dances taught at schools and later performed at galas have developed a standard performance style. They have what he called "an industrialized method of production."

Since the gala dances became part of mainstream entertainment in China, the other forms were left behind. But Wanma digs them out, for he thinks the stage needs something different, and his fellow Tibetan dancers need a place for non-gala, non-standard performances.

That's why in Shambhala there are none of the familiar colorful long-sleeve costumes. Dancers may wear frightening masks or feathers; often dancers are half-naked - a style adapted from ancient, folk and religious dances of the region.

Though Wanma thinks the gala dances are out-dated nowadays, he said he does not aim to replace them. "I only want the audience to have a new option," he answered.

Wanma is also aware of the fact that pure folk dancing is not suitable for staged performances, so he adds modern elements.

Liang is very supportive of this effort. "Modern dances are widely accepted around the world, so it gives foreign audiences an easier way to understand a Tibetan story," he told the Global Times in a phone interview.

Yet, according to an article in The Bund magazine, one section in Shambhala is derived from German choreographer Pina Bausch, an observation that raised some dispute. Wanma explained to the magazine that when you see something really good, you cannot help but mimic it, but you don't fully copy it either. "None of my movements, images or feelings is similar to her work, only the treatment on rhythm and time is borrowed," he said.

Religion meets modern dance

As Buddhism influences almost every aspect of Tibetan life, the dance drama is no exception: a compact version of making mandala is incorporated into the piece.

Making mandala is one of the most common ways for Tibetans to practice spiritual cultivation. Using colorful sands, they spend days and even months making a beautiful and delicate picture. After so much effort, they simply destroy it - teaching people everything attractive in the world is as illusory as the beautiful sand work, and we should avoid being seduced by them.

A similar illustration is contained in the dance drama: a boy wants to release a fish, but on the way, the fish dies. So the boy pours some water on the fish, hoping it will come back to life. But the fish turns into sand.

From angry to calm

Though Shambhala has a theme, Wanma does not want to impose upon his audience any fixed understanding of the work. So, symbols are largely used without full explanation, like a string, a stone, a kite or a bird.

Wanma explained that, for example, the large blue blanket on the stage can be interpreted as the sea, from which all life emerged, or the earth, or even the universe.

Giving space to the audience is what Wanma thinks a dance work should be like and what is already contained in ancient Chinese philosophy. "In an ink and wash painting, the artist will leave a certain area blank. Viewers may interpret it as a cloud, fog, water or just space," he said.

Before watching Shambhala, Liang Geluo wrote in his blog that he placed no high expectation upon it, for in his memory, Wanma's former works, such as Lang Yan (Nightmare of a Wolf) and Xueyu Yinghao (Tibetan Hero), were good but felt common, and therefore they did not leave a deep impression on him.

But when he met Wanma during a casual occasion, he found something about the choreographer had changed, which he later described as "his heart has calmed down." Finally, Liang realized what he disliked in Wanma's previous works - anger.

"There's no problem in having anger [in a work], but when it only has anger the work will be problematic," he wrote. "I don't know why so many young dance directors only see and feel anger when there are so many beautiful things among the people."

Liang thinks that anger is the easiest to express in modern dance, but beauty and happiness are the most difficult, for "you have to avoid being similar to predecessors."

Differing from Liang, Wanma admits that his previous works often expressed his personal feelings. He added that Shambhala is more universal, about how to find a balance between the material and spiritual worlds.

Having studied dance since the age of 12, it took years of life's ups and downs to bring Wanma to the point of understanding the calm in a dance work. It took more years within the dance circle for one of his pieces - Shambhala - to be recognized as an innovative work.

Having achieved a certain degree of fame in the traditional way, now he prefers to create a new type, regardless of the outcome.

"I have had a great sword for a long time. But what I used to do was kill chickens and ducks. Now I meet a dragon. I will slay it or be glad to be slain," he said.