MUSIC AND DANCE REVIEWS : TIBETAN DANCERS PERFORM AT CALTECH

Accompanied by thumping, clanging percussion and throaty wailing, five dancers in flat, shield-like masks, billowing black pantaloons, and striped jackets with long, loose sleeves entered in a line to stamp and kick through tight circle formations: the ritual prologue to an exciting Tibetan folk opera and dance performance in Beckman Auditorium, Caltech, on Tuesday.

The hot splendor of this opening--the bright, opulent costumes; loud, rhythmic music; bold, virtuosic dancing--remained constant in varied dramatic and ceremonial sequences for the next two hours.

Presented by the Asia Society, this nine-member troupe from Lhasa contrasted markedly with Lhamo, the large Tibetan company from Dharmasala, India (followers of the exiled Dalai Lama), that appeared at UCLA in 1975. Where Lhamo emphasized devotional dances, for instance, the Lhasa contingent devoted much of its program to a condensed version of the popular epic “Drowa Sangmo.”

With a queen more wicked than the one in “Snow White” and a brother and sister more victimized than Hansel and Gretel, “Drowa Sangmo” would be a classic in any culture. The Tibetans theatrically embroidered this tale with passages of intense arioso (with the end of phrases eerily echoed by an offstage chorus), boisterous folk comedy, veristic pantomime and vigorous dances--including a jaunty farm number that one might call the “Black Yak Pas de Deux.”

Even for these masked, four-legged critters, the choreography showcased agility--and the manege of barrel turns executed in unison by five dancers in “Ging” would pass muster in any ballet company.

Although programming choices Tuesday raised questions about the secularization of traditional Tibetan culture under the Chinese, the vitality and charm of the performance itself proved exceptional.