After the Chinese annexion of Tibet thousands of Tibetans leaved their country for India. The Tibetan diaspora in India is the greatest one between other Tibetan refugee communities counting 100,000 refugees living on the territory of The Indian Republic. Life in the diaspora was complicated by the need to rebuild the community with its traditional types of management, religion, traditions and customs. In these conditions the preservation of Tibetan language and specific Tibetan culture was crucial. For this purpose The Tibetan Administration is providing educational programs of arts and crafts. One of the key problems in the diaspora is the lack of teachers, the low interest of young people in traditional arts and crafts, the preference for more modern professions, and the exodus of the population to big cities. Realizing the need to preserve the cultural heritage as the basis of the Tibetan identity, the Tibetan Administration is implementing a number of programs to preserve traditional dance techniques and sponsor young performers. One of the most famous traditional Tibetan performance arts is dance. Traditional Tibetan dance art includes both folk patterns and temple performances such as the Tsam mystery.
To date, there are some programs in the Diaspora aimed at preserving the techniques of classical dance, as well as passing them on to the younger generation. The importance of preserving cultural heritage, including in the field of performing arts, is due to the multiple processes in which the Tibetan ethno-cultural identity is being eroded.
In the course of our report, we will try to trace the history of the development of Tibetan performing arts, and also consider the mechanisms for the transmission of dance techniques in the Tibetan diaspora, based on field work in the Institute of Tibetan Performing Arts, the Tibet Museum, The Library for Tibetan Works and Archives.
