Ocean of Song and Dance brings together scholars, artists, and practitioners to explore the shifting currents of song, dance, ritual, and theatre across the Tibetan and Himalayan worlds. Featuring a keynote address by Jamyang Norbu and panels on performance, gender, and identity, the program also includes live, immersive demonstrations and participatory workshops on ache lhamo, or Tibetan opera. The conference highlights performance at the intersections of tradition and innovation, the sacred and the secular, and the local and the global, culminating in a participatory discussion on new directions for performance studies in Tibetan & Himalayan contexts. Through conversation, performance, and shared experience, Ocean of Song and Dance celebrates the creativity and interconnectedness of Himalayan expressive cultures, inviting reflection on the power of performance to carry history, shape identity, and inspire new cultural currents.
*For non-Columbia guests, registration is required to access the Morningside campus. RSVP by 12noon on Thursday, December 4.
Day 1 | December 5, 2025
2:30pm-4:00pm: Table reading of Meeting the Madman, a play by Donald Lopez
4:00pm-4:45pm: Tea break
4:45pm - 5:00pm: Welcome Remarks / Constantine Lignos; International Affairs Building 918
5:00pm - 6:00pm: Keynote Address / Jamyang Norbu; International Affairs Building 918
6:00pm-7:15pm: Dinner break
7:30pm - 9:30pm: Ache Lhamo (Tibetan Opera) Demonstration / Tenzin Kelsang, Isabelle Henrion-Dourcy; International Affairs Building 918
Day 2 | December 6, 2025
10:30am - 12:00pm: Panel I: Text & Performance / Kimerer LaMothe, Constantine Lignos; International Affairs Building 918
12:00pm - 1:15pm: Lunch
1:30pm - 3:00pm: Panel II: Gender, Ritual, and Performance / Kati Fitzgerald, Joshua Brallier; International Affairs Building 918
3:00pm - 3:30pm: Tea break
3:30pm - 4:30pm: Performance & Identity / Isabelle Henrion-Dourcy; Kent Hall 403
4:30pm - 6:00pm: Dance Workshop: Gorshay and Ache Lhamo / Tenzin Kelsang, Isabelle Henrion-Dourcy; Kent Hall 403
6:00pm - 7:00pm: Concluding Discussion & Reception; Kent Hall 403
