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Song and Dance Combined
Song and dance in Tibet are closely interrelated: there are songs for dances, and dances for songs. Originally there was a clear distinction between the two. Songs were the first to appear, and from them dance gradually emerged with the development of popular art, while songs kept tempo with the dances. Ulnar art, while songs kept tempo with the dances. Today’s terminology of songs and dances, however, can cause confusion. Generally speaking, lu and shae refer to songs while dro, gor and shapdro denote dances. For example, the former local government of Tibet often held grand ceremonies in which a troupe of singers and dancers were retained to head the procession and enliven the proceedings. Such troupes were known as dro-pa shae-mu. Dro-pa referred the dance troupe at the forefront of the procession, while the chorus or shae-mu followed the dancers and provided accompaniment. Some claim that shae denotes song and dance but this is not strictly accurate. The confusion arises because of the tendency for singing to be accompanied or followed by dancing. However, when shae appears in combination it can sometimes refer to dance, as in gorshae or round dance. Tibetans use the term lugar to refer to both song and dance in an unambiguous way. |
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