What's in a dance?

My first invitation to participate in this 'dance' had me a little flummoxed, but not on account of the complexity of steps and movements involved. Those proved to be a cakewalk once my mind came to terms with the fact that at the end of the event I was attending, I was expected to just get up from my seat in the VIP section of the audience and join in with hundreds of other members of this huge audience to do the 'Tashi Lebeh' in the middle of the ground where the event was being held!

The event is at an end, theTashi Lebeh begins with everyone standing one behind the other in a huge circle

The photographers in the middle of the ring formed by the Tashi Lebeh participants

I can only come to the conclusion that my initial reticence and slight astonishment at this mass, and what seemed to my newcomer's eyes to be an impromptu, unrehearsed and spontaneous dance, came from reasons which are deeply embedded in my psyche. Foremost among these reasons, if this was happening in India, would be the concern that immediately surfaces as a result of training and conditioning that is as old as I am  - "Will I be safe down there dancing with all and sundry from the audience?" And given the milieu we live in in India, this question would  probably be perfectly valid and justified from a woman's point of view.

The next questions that my mind would subconsciously process are "What sort of people will I be dancing with? Do they look like they are from my kind of people, my class, are they my type, how will I look to myself and to others to be dancing with them?" Are these questions justified?  Would these questions occur to you too, I ask my Indian readers? Think about it. These doubts probably would surface in your mind too. We Indians are all a product of the same society and our society has conditioned us to think in this way, albeit in varying degrees, depending on our exposure, our education, our individual differences, and depending on whether or not we reside in India.

Living in Bhutan for the past year or so I have had numerous opportunities to observe the complete lack of inhibition on the part of the Bhutanese, (right from the monarchs and the rest of the royal family, down to the ministers and the highest ranking politicians and officials in the various districts of Bhutan) in mingling and mixing with their fellow countrymen, irrespective of their place on the social ladder. At times like these I feel really starkly aware of how in my own country each social strata kind of looks down on the one below it, and would like to have as little to do with it as possible unless it is unavoidable and unless it is for one's own gain! The reverse seems to be one of the most striking features of Bhutanese society. 

And so when it is time to do the tashi lebeh, everyone including members of the royal family if they are present at the gathering, casually, without any fuss, without having to be coaxed and cajoled, walks onto the field and joins in this traditional ending of any happy, auspicious community event and even, I am told a big family event such as a puja for instance.

Men in uniform, bureaucrats, women, the old, the young, the Bhutanese and the non Bhutanese all join in!

Okay, so what exactly is the tashi lebeh? Does it have an explicit purpose? Does it help to break down barriers between the social strata in Bhutanese society or is it a reflection of the lack of rigid distinctions in this society? I am not exactly sure but it probably has its roots in tribal sensibilities, which as we know from our own tribal societies in India's northeastern states, are characterised by a strong sense of community.


To my mind, the very simplicity of the steps of the tashi lebeh seems to be designed with a view to inclusiveness, so that even a novice and a newcomer to the dance can join in and be a part of it- take a step forward starting with one foot, bring the other foot together with the first with your palms raised skywards, take another step forward this time with the second foot, bring your feet together with your palms facing down, step, feet together, palms up, step, feet together, palms down - as simple as that, aside from the fact that at a particular point in the song/prayer that accompanies the dance, everyone turns and faces in the opposite direction for just one set of steps and hand movements, and then turns back again! In actuality, all Bhutanese dances have very basic and simple steps, and this one is no exception. Unlike the Indian classical dance forms and some folk dances that require a lifetime of rigor and considerable skill to master, and are therefore not inclusive and accessible to everyone, the tashi lebeh is simple and easy and belongs to literally every Bhutanese.

  
From the very first time I participated in it, the inclusiveness of the lebeh lebeh struck me strongly as being a beautiful way to end a happy event, with everyone moving around in the same direction, in a huge circle, to the accompaniment of simple steps and hand movements, to the chanting of a song that is almost a prayer of gratitude that everything has gone off well, and of a wish that we will all meet here again one day. Needless to say I have grown to love the tashi lebeh, and everything it stands for! I hope that you will have an opportunity to participate in it when you visit the Land of the Thunder Dragon!

Scroll down to see the steps and hand movements of the Tashi Lebeh......

step forward with the left foot, bring your feet together, raise your palms skywards

step forward, bring your feet together, bring your hands down palms facing the ground

Palms up....

Palms down......