Touches of Tibet

The acclaimed choreographer/dancer, of the Dai ethnic group Yang Liping, will bring The Riddle of Tibet back to Beijing at the end of this month. After premiering in Chengdu in August 2007, the show had a successful run at the Poly Theater last November.

Yang first rose to prominence in 1986 after winning a national contest for her peacock dance. She found further success in 2004 when she created a gala show, Dynamic Yunnan, featuring original dance music numbers and the music of ethnic groups from southwest China's Yunnan.

"I have been fascinated by Tibetan dance for a long time. Every time I see Tibetans get down on their hands and knees to crawl slowly on a pilgrimage, I feel their every movement is a dance," Yang says. "For me, creating the show is a pilgrimage. So when I did it, I was devoted."