July 23, 2002

Sacred Buddhist Dance Comes to Boise

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"buddhist dance 1" 131 KB
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"buddhist dance 2" 108 KB

Nepal’s premier dancer, Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, who has attracted sold-out audiences in Los Angeles, Seattle and other international cities, will perform, along with local artist LiAnne Takeuchi Hunt, at 7 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Special Events Center at Boise State University. Advance purchase tickets are $8.50 for adults and $6 for students and faculty at Select-a-Seat, 426-1494 or www.idahotickets.com. Tickets at the door are $10.

Vajracharya will also teach a workshop from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at the Komyozan Dojo, 1922 N. 21st St. in Boise. The class fee is $25 for adults and $20 for students. Space is limited. For required pre-registration call 922-1201.

Vajracharya is the foremost living master of Charya Nritya, an ancient Buddhist dance tradition. Charya Nritya is one of the religious arts of the Buddhist priests of the Kathmandu Valley, who perform it as part of their meditation movement, absorbing the essence of deities such as Tara, Avalokiteshvara, Vajrayogini and Vajrapani. The dancer moves in a state of deep meditative awareness in order to embody the living presence of the variously compassionate, ecstatic and wrathful deities.

Vajracharya belongs to one of the Tantric lineages of Nepal and has been trained in this dance form since age 8. In 1997 he won first prize in an all-Nepal dance competition held in honor of the 25th anniversary of the king’s coronation, no small feat in a country rich with dance traditions.

LiAnne Takeuchi Hunt recently moved to Boise from Hawaii. She has danced professionally since 1989 as a principal in Honolulu-based companies. In 1993 she formed her own company, Reiko Performance Art Theater, giving performances and workshops in England and Hawaii. Hunt has studied and performed many classical dance traditions including Balinese, Javanese, Korean, Filipino and Indian Kuchipuri, as well as Butoh, Hula, Tai Chi and Chi Kung.

The performance is sponsored by Rasa!, Boise State Cultural Center, HuntHost.com, Boise State Aikido Club and Komyozan Dojo. For more information call 922-1201.

Contact:
LiAnne Hunt
(208) 922-1201
(208) 860-3390 — cell
(413) 581-3817 — fax

Media Contact:
Pat Pyke
communications and marketing
426-1987

A more detailed press release and other photos are available at www.hunthost.com/temp/dancemandal/