Dancing Peacock: An Asian Dance Performance by Yanlai Dance Academy, February 25.

Yanlai Dance Academy will present "Dancing Peacock: An Asian Dance Performance" on February 25.

Yanlai Dance Academy presents Dancing Peacock, an Asian dance performance. Dancing Peacock is Yanlai Dance Academy’s annual recital, featuring performances in styles and costumes from the mountain regions of Tibet, to the Dai minority group, and to the ancient caves of Dunhuang.

Yanlai Dance Academy is Pittsburgh’s leading dance studio in the art of Chinese dance. Founded in 2004 by Yanlai Wu, a graduate of Bejing Dance, Yanlai Dance Academy is the only studio in Pittsburgh that teaches Chinese dance. The studio also offers ballet, modern, K-Pop, and Pilates from ages 4 to adult.

The performance runs from 7:00 t0 10:00 pm and at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in downtown's Cultural District (map). Tickets are available online and range from $25 to $50.

Looking For A Lady With Fangs And A Moustache at Pitt, November 13.

SCREENSHOT:ASIA will present another screening of Looking For A Lady With Fangs And A Moustache, which opened last month's SCREENSHOT:ASIA film festival, on November 13. From an April 8 New York Times review:

In Khyentse Norbu’s “Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache,” a Nepalese entrepreneur searches for spiritual enlightenment, hoping to avert a fatal prophecy. Looking to set up a new cafe, Tenzin (Tsering Tashi Gyalthang) sees unnerving visions after scouting an abandoned temple. With mounting fear, he follows the gnomic suggestions of a Buddhist monk in shades and a master sage, who insists that he find a goddess manifest on earth, known as a dakini.
The writer-director Norbu, a Buddhist spiritual leader making his fifth feature, presents Tenzin as a hip modern guy in bluejeans with a wide smile that vanishes as soon as he has to seek self-awareness. The cozy streets of Kathmandu become like a place without a map to Tenzin as he scans passing strangers for signs of divine femininity and leaves his business partners in the lurch. There’s a slight narrative echo of romantic comedy as the monk and the master sage feed him tips and ritual gestures, and it appears the woman he seeks could be right under his nose, in the form of a singer (Tenzin Kunsel) from his music lessons.

It will play at the Frick Fine Arts Building in Oakland at 7:00 pm, and registration is required. It is free and open to the Pitt community and to registered guests. (Those who do not have a valid Pitt ID will need to register at least 24 hours in advance in order to have guest access granted.)

"Becoming (and Un-Becoming) Masters of their Own Homes: From United Front to Rebellion on Tibetan Borderland of Early-Maoist China," November 8 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Benno Weiner and his talk "Becoming (and Un-Becoming) Masters of their Own Homes: From United Front to Rebellion on Tibetan Borderland of Early-Maoist China" on November 8 as part of the center's Asian Now Lecture Series.

When in 1949 the Chinese Communist Party “liberated” the ethnocultural frontier region known to Tibetans as Amdo, its goal was not just to construct a state, but to create a nation—not just control, but transformation. While state building might have been accomplished through coercion, Party leaders understood that nation making required narratives and policies capable of convincing Amdo’s diverse inhabitants of their communion with a wider political community. Rather than immediately implement socialist reforms, the CCP initially pursued relatively moderate “United Front” policies meant to “gradually” and “organically” persuade Tibetans and Amdo’s other non-Han inhabitants of their membership in the new multiethnic nation. At the outset of 1958’s Great Leap Forward, however, United Front gradualism was jettisoned in favor of rapid collectivization. This led to large-scale rebellion, overwhelming state repression, and widespread famine. Rather than a “voluntary” and “peaceful” transformation, Amdo was incorporated through the inordinate and often indiscriminate deployment of state violence. In this talk, Benno Weiner discusses the Communist Party’s United Front strategy in Amdo, the 1958 Amdo Rebellion, and ways in which the violence of 1958 and its aftermath continue to cloud efforts to integrate Tibetans and others into the modern Chinese nation-state.

Benno Weiner is Associate Professor in the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University. He is author of the Chinese Revolution on the Tibetan Frontier (Cornell UP) and co-editor of Contested Memories: Tibetan History under Mao Retold (Brill).

The hybrid event will take place in 211 Lawrence Hall or on Zoom. It starts at 4:30 pm and registration is required.

Looking For A Lady With Fangs And A Moustache online via Tull Family Theater, April 30.

The Tull Family Theater in Sewickley will present virtual screenings of Looking For A Lady With Fangs And A Moustache from April 30. From an April 8 New York Times review:

In Khyentse Norbu’s “Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache,” a Nepalese entrepreneur searches for spiritual enlightenment, hoping to avert a fatal prophecy. Looking to set up a new cafe, Tenzin (Tsering Tashi Gyalthang) sees unnerving visions after scouting an abandoned temple. With mounting fear, he follows the gnomic suggestions of a Buddhist monk in shades and a master sage, who insists that he find a goddess manifest on earth, known as a dakini.
The writer-director Norbu, a Buddhist spiritual leader making his fifth feature, presents Tenzin as a hip modern guy in bluejeans with a wide smile that vanishes as soon as he has to seek self-awareness. The cozy streets of Kathmandu become like a place without a map to Tenzin as he scans passing strangers for signs of divine femininity and leaves his business partners in the lurch. There’s a slight narrative echo of romantic comedy as the monk and the master sage feed him tips and ritual gestures, and it appears the woman he seeks could be right under his nose, in the form of a singer (Tenzin Kunsel) from his music lessons.

Ticket information is now available online.

Looking For A Lady With Fangs And A Moustache online via Tull Family Theater, April 30.

The Tull Family Theater in Sewickley will present virtual screenings of Looking For A Lady With Fangs And A Moustache from April 30. From an April 8 New York Times review:

In Khyentse Norbu’s “Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache,” a Nepalese entrepreneur searches for spiritual enlightenment, hoping to avert a fatal prophecy. Looking to set up a new cafe, Tenzin (Tsering Tashi Gyalthang) sees unnerving visions after scouting an abandoned temple. With mounting fear, he follows the gnomic suggestions of a Buddhist monk in shades and a master sage, who insists that he find a goddess manifest on earth, known as a dakini.
The writer-director Norbu, a Buddhist spiritual leader making his fifth feature, presents Tenzin as a hip modern guy in bluejeans with a wide smile that vanishes as soon as he has to seek self-awareness. The cozy streets of Kathmandu become like a place without a map to Tenzin as he scans passing strangers for signs of divine femininity and leaves his business partners in the lurch. There’s a slight narrative echo of romantic comedy as the monk and the master sage feed him tips and ritual gestures, and it appears the woman he seeks could be right under his nose, in the form of a singer (Tenzin Kunsel) from his music lessons.

Tickets and showtime information is not yet available.

Tibetan Medicine and Meditation talk, May 25 in Squirrel Hill.

The Three Rivers Tibetan Cultural Center will present Mempa Youlha Tsering and his talk Tibetan Medicine and Meditation: Mind-Body Connection and Treatment of Insomnia, Depression, and Fibromyalgia on May 25 at the Sixth Presbyterian Church in Squirrel Hill.

Buddhist Society of Pittsburgh's Vesak 2018, April 28.

The Buddhist Society of Pittsburgh will present Vesak 2018 on April 28.

Hundreds of Buddhists from many traditions, and the public as well, will join in Pittsburgh's 10th Annual Vesak, a worldwide celebration which honors the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, the Enlightened One. Over the past 9 years, our gathering has grown to be a joyous occasion, filled with colorful flowers and the beautiful teachings and practices shared by many traditions in a collective Sangha ceremony.

This year's theme - Walking Peace Together - expresses the commitment shared by our various traditions to be peace, together, grounded in our Buddha Nature, especially in this time of great division in our country. Peace is the Path we walk in mindfulness.

Participants can help bathe the Baby Buddha, offering their prayers for peace within the water, which will later be processed to the Allegheny River. A shared service, held within the Allegheny Unitarian Church, will feature prayers, chants, Dharma teachings and practices from each of the local Buddhist traditions. The program includes a wonderful interactive song and mindfulness practice for children.

A festive procession to the river will follow, as we Walk Peace Together. Light refreshments will also be available for attendees. The entire program is free and open to the public.

The event runs from 3:00 to 5:00 pm, beginning at the Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church on the Northside (map).

Chenrezig Sand Mandala design and construction at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, February 4 through 9.

The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts will host two Tibetan Lama from the Three Rivers Tibetan Cultural Center from February 4 through February 9 as they design and construct a Chenrezig Sand Mandala.

Tibetan Sand Mandala is a 2-D representation of a 3-D sacred space. Chenrezig is the Buddha of Compassion. On Friday the mandala is dissolved to allow the compassionate energy to be shared bringing the blessing of healing and peace to the world.

The construction of the sand mandala by venerable Lama Sonam and venerable Lama Kalsang is from 10am - 3:30pm everyday.

The opening ceremony is Monday, February 4, at 10:00 am, and the dissolving ceremony is February 9 at 12:00 noon. The Pittsburgh Center for the Ats is located at 6300 Fifth Ave in Shadyside (map). Admission is free but donations are welcomed.

2016 Tibetan movie Soul on a String in Oakland, November 5

The 2016 Tibetan movie Soul on a String will play at the Carnegie Library in Oakland on November 5 as that month's installment of International Cinema Sunday.

2016 Tibetan movie Soul on a String in Oakland, November 5.

The 2016 Tibetan movie Soul on a String will play at the Carnegie Library in Oakland on November 5 as that month's installment of International Cinema Sunday.

2006 documentary Blindsight at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, February 28, part of Silver Screen Stereotypes: Disability in Film series.

The East Liberty branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will show the 2006 documentary Blindsight on February 28, part of the library's Silver Screen Stereotypes: Disability in Film series.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas, this documentary follows six Tibetan teenagers on their journey to climb a 23,000 foot mountain. 104 minutes.
Join us as we watch recent film portrayals of persons with disabilities and ask:

• Are the portrayals accurate?
• What’s the message being promoted?
• What film needs to be made to promote an accurate or positive image?

The ways in which individuals and groups are portrayed in popular media can have a profound effect on how they are viewed by society at large. Persons with disabilities are beginning to be portrayed more in popular cinema. Yet, many of those representations remain inaccurate and may be offensive. This film series is intended to stimulate discussion about how persons with disabilities are portrayed in film and should not be considered an endorsement of the films’ accuracy or appropriateness

The event runs from 12:00 to 3:00 pm. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

"Mystical Arts of Tibet" at IUP, October 19 to 26.

Video from a 2011 event at IUP.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania will host "Mystical Arts of Tibet" from October 19 through 26.

From October 19 to October 26, 10 Tibetan monks will be in residence at IUP to construct a sand mandala (representation of the universe), carve a butter sculpture, put on three short performances of Tibetan chanting and dance, and give four lectures.

Visitors may also participate in the community sand art (using the same implements as the monks do when they construct a mandala) make a peace flag, color in mandalas, and help put together mandala puzzles. Unless otherwise noted, all events and activities take place in the HUB Ohio Room. All events are free.

A full schedule is available at the IUP Department of Religious Studies page.

Tibetan Chant Ceremony October 13, talk "Death and Dying: The Tibetan Tradition" October 15, at Heinz Chapel.

The University of Pittsburgh's Heinz Chapel will host a Tibetan Chant Ceremony on October 13 with the monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery, and a talk on "Death and Dying: The Tibetan Tradition" with His Eminence Gyalrong Khentrul Rinpoche on October 15. A synopsis of the latter:

Join us for a public talk by his Eminence Gyalrong Khentrul Rinpoche. The subject of death and dying is often thought of in the West as something negative and morbid. In Buddhism it is important life knowledge, enhancing and enriching our lives and bringing about a dramatic inner transformation as the mind moves into a deeper state of subtlety, clarity and fearlessness.

Both talks are open to the public, though a $10 donation is suggested for the chant ceremony.

Tibetan-French short film "Butter Lamp" at Regent Square Theater, from January 30.

The Tibetan-French short film "Butter Lamp" will play at the Regent Square Theater from January 30 through February 12 as part of the Oscar Nominated Shorts: Live Action series. A synopsis, from the theater's site:

A young itinerant photographer and his assistant offer to photograph some Tibetan nomads in front of various backgrounds.

Tibetan Chant Ceremony at Heinz Chapel, October 14.

Heinz Chapel will host the monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery to perform the Medicine Buddha Puja on October 14. The chant begins at 7:00 pm and there is a suggested, but not required, donation of $10.

Pittsburgh Tibetan Center Constructs Mandala for Peace, beginning January 12.

The Pittsburgh Tibetan Center

will construct a sand mandala for peace from Jan.12 to the 17th at Spinning Plate Gallery at 5720 Friendship Ave. The Center’s resident Lama, Ven. Khenpo Choephel, and visiting Lama Konchak Sonam will be creating the mandala each day from nine to five. The opening ceremony is at noon on Jan. 12. The mandala is believed to plant a seed of positive, compassionate energy in the mind of viewers and bring blessings of peace and compassion to the entire world by depositing the sand into a body of moving water on the last day.

The Three Rivers Dharma Center website adds:

During the days it will take to complete the mandala, the gallery will be open to visitors from 9 am to 5 pm. Dharma Center members will be on hand to answer questions, and interpretive posters will be on display. There will also be a variety of events throughout the week, introducing viewers to this highly refined and meaningful art form and other aspects of Tibetan culture and spirituality.

Additional events are listed on the flyer above and on the Three Rivers Dharma Center site.

City of Asylum's Exiled Voices of China and Tibet, June 8.

City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, which "provide[s] sanctuary to endangered literary writers", is hosting the day-long "Exiled Voices of China and Tibet" on June 8. The website says it's a

series of free talks, readings and performances featuring Independent Chinese PEN Center President and Sampsonia Way columnist Tienchi Martin Liao, poet and musician Liao Yiwu and human rights activist and lawyer Chen Guangcheng. Hosts and moderators include New York Times Beijing correspondent Andrew Jacobs, Pittsburgh World Affairs Council President and CEO Steven E. Sokol, and WESA’s Paul Guggenheimer. At 8 PM, enjoy Rock & Rap for Freedom, a concert featuring JasiriX and Tibetan exiled rockers Melong Band, with a special appearance by City of Asylum poet Huang Xiang.

It runs from 1 pm to 10 pm at the Tent on Monterey Street on the North Side (map). It's free, but reservations are necessary. The event's webpage has a schedule and more information.

Tibetan film Old Dog at IUP, April 10.

The Tibetan film Old Dog will run on April 10 as part of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2013 Foreign Film and Music Series. From last year's Brooklyn Film Festival website:

A Tibetan sheep herder sells his father's prized Tibetan mastiff to a dealer without his father's approval. When his father finds out, he must travel into a frontier town to retrieve the dog that he raised for 12 years and is deeply attached to. The relation between father and son is turned upside down, and the mastiff has to be guarded at all times from dog-nappers and dealers who constantly harass the family with ever increasing offers. "Old Dog" is a poetic story about Tibet's changing society, where old values are in direct conflict with new.

There are two showings, at 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm, in Sprawls Hall. The shows are free and are funded in part by the IUP Student Activity Fee.

Tibetan film Old Dog at IUP's Foreign Film and Music Series.

I'll post about this again in April, but the Tibetan film Old Dog will run on April 10 as part of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2013 Foreign Film and Music Series. From the series' website:

A family on the Himalayan plains discovers their dog is worth a fortune, but selling it comes at a terrible price. Old Dog is both a humorous and tragic allegory and a sober depiction of life among the impoverished rural Tibetan community.

There are two showings, at 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm, in Sprawls Hall. The shows are free and are funded in part by the IUP Student Activity Fee. Before I repost in April I will ask if there is a way for non-students to chip in a little money to the Office of International Education, which is putting on the series. IUP student SiLu Jia will be the evening's musical guest.

I bring up the series now for three reasons. I noticed, four days late, that a Chinese film was included in this year's series on February 10. Additionally, Indiana is within reasonable driving distance to Pittsburgh at roughly 90 minutes away, and may be of interest to people on this side of the state. Finally, the campus puts on good international films. The best film series I've seen in western PA was a Korean festival nearly a decade ago, which had Chunhyang; Spring Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring; Chihwaseon; Wakiki Brothers; and a few others.