Laba Zhaxi(1990-)Tibetan Culture Meets Contemporary Dance

Laba Zhaxi， from the Tibetan ethnic group， is a dancer and choreographer born in Lhasa. He founded Multi-Elements Dance Theatre in 2014， bringing his career as an independent director-choreographer and dancer to a new level. He has been honored with a series of awards for his work. As a dancer， he took the gold at the ninth Seoul International Dance Competition in 2012. As a choreographer， the Tibetan TV channel recently praised him as a “cutting-edge Tibetan choreographer”.

China Pictorial： How did your passion for dance start？

Laba Zhaxi： When I was in primary school in Shigatse （a prefecture-level city in Tibet）， we practiced a variety of activities， including singing and dancing. Standouts could train and represent the school with various performances. We practiced during our free time， after class. Eventually， we started doing bigger events in other places around Tibet. After primary school， I got the opportunity to go to Shanghai and study dance there. There weren’t more specific majors， so we studied many different Chinese styles， and also Western ballet. I was exposed to a much broader dance culture. I also discovered systemic dance training there， and the importance of discipline when practicing dance.

CP： When you started your dance career， what kind of performances did you present most often？

LZ： After graduating in Shanghai， I became the lead dancer of the Tibetan Shigatse Dance Troupe in 2006， right when big dance projects were becoming more popular. Many of them combined modern stage techniques and traditional culture. Preparing for these performances was very intense and required skill in a lot of different styles and Tibetan traditions. People often think about Tibetan dance as if it’s monolithic， but it is incredibly diverse. Just Shigatse has 18 counties. On average， every county has two very different dance styles. So for Shigatse alone you have to learn 36 different styles. And after learning the traditional dances， you also need to adapt things so they work well on a theater stage.

CP： How did you get introduced to more contemporary styles of dance？

LZ： In 2009， I was admitted to Minzu University of China in Beijing. I learned a lot during my time there. And even when certain styles seemed like they wouldn’t help me directly， like other ethnic minorities’ dances， the experiences provided me with better dance education and ultimately only made me a better dancer and choreographer. A diverse knowledge of art is very important. At Minzu University I became fascinated with contemporary dance. In Shanghai I got a taste of it， but in Beijing I really got to understand and practice it – not only in the university， but also outside： I trained with the LDTX troupe （one of China’s most prominent contemporary dance companies） and followed their work very closely. To me， contemporary dance is a state of mind， a way of thinking. It is not mostly about learning a style or some moves. It’s about focusing on feelings and freeing oneself from rules and boundaries.

CP： In 2014， you created your own dance company， Multi-Elements Dance Theatre. What did you hope to accomplish？

LZ： I have performed a lot of dance and discovered many styles， and I think many different things can be integrated to create something new. Traditional Tibetan dance and contemporary dance can be mixed， and they both can also be mixed with other styles. Creating my own company was the best way to focus on this type of innovation. I wanted to leave my mark on the current Chinese dance scene.

CP： Despite your growing passion for contemporary dance， you still do many performances featuring traditional Tibetan culture. Recently， you directed Qilian dance troupe’s show Heavenly Qilian （Qilian is a county in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province）. When you work on such projects， what motivates you？

LZ： That show is about local legends， specifically those involving the two mountains in Qilian. I am very committed to celebrating Tibetan culture. We have great stories， songs and dances， and a unique religion. I think these elements can be the foundation for many art projects that meld different forms. Dance and music mostly exist together in Tibetan culture. Many Tibetan songs don’t reach their full potential without dancing accompaniment. And when you listen， you start moving spontaneously.

CP： Can you tell us a bit about your most recent show， Jue，which can be translated as “Awareness”？

LZ： “Jue” has a complex meaning in Chinese. It refers to the idea of awareness， but a more intimate and sensory kind of perception and comprehension. For me， the performance is about the tension between our material world characterized by distractions， temptation and material desire， noise， chaos and turmoil， against awareness of eternal life that transcends boundaries as well as narrow and egotistical ideas. In the words of the Buddha： “The path of the aware person is bound to elevate his heart， in eternal life”. Jue is my personal take on this deep topic.

CP： How different is it to work on this type of project？

Laba Zhaxi： Jue and Heavenly Qilian don’t seem to have much in common， for sure. Heavenly Qilian is a large-scale performance meant to showcase a local culture in a very vibrant way. I directed a large troupe of dancers and singers， and we use a huge LED screen. I love working on this kind of project， but it isn’t very personal.

Jue， on the other hand， focuses on my own experience and views on life. It is very subjective and intimate. The project only involves five dancers and two musicians. The design is very minimalist： We used a plain black background and few props. The lighting is also completely different： Heavenly Qilian features mostly bright light whereas Jue is rather dark.

Despite those things， the two performances share more than you might think. Even if most of the costumes for Jue are very simple， we also use some traditional Tibetan costumes for certain sequences， and a musician sings in Tibetan. Beyond that， on the cultural side， there are commonalities because I was raised in Tibetan culture， which is inherently part of me. Therefore， when I want to express myself， lots of things that come out are directly or indirectly influenced by this culture.

CP： What would you like to work on in the coming years？

Laba Zhaxi： I really want to work on “Zang Xi”， a traditional Tibetan performance that dates back to the Eighth Century and combines theater with singing and dancing.