MusicTibet.com
News :: 2005
Nyima and Dawa returns after seven years
Nyima Tashi and Dawa Dolma were among artistes and thousands of Tibetans and foreign tourists celebrating the 70th birthday of the Dalai Lama at his temple in the northern Indian hill town of Mcleod Ganj on 6 July.
The crowd remained undeterred by the downpour to greet and to hear the Dalai Lama and to watch the dance and music filled programmes by various artistes from school children to renowned Tibetan artistes such as Nyima Tashi and Dawa Dolma, Namgyal Lhamo from the Netherlands and the local favourites, including artistes from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), Thangtong Lugar and the Tibetan Army Band.
Nyima and Dawa (Sun and Moon), a couple from Australia, received special applause after they gave their rendition of Ka Kha Ga Nga song, an original composition by them about Tibetan alphabets. They also performed on the last and the third day of the official birthday celebration at the TIPA on the 8th July presenting three songs including the Ka Kha song, a Hindi song and English songs.
"We felt so fortunate for having gotten the opportunity to sing for His Holiness on his 70th birthday," said an overjoyed Nyima.
The couple moved to Australia in 1998 and now lives in Sydney. It is the first time that they have returned to Mcleod Ganj after moving to Sydney.
"The setup, the familiar faces, the scent of the performances and the blessing that we received from His Holiness made us nostalgic for our times at TIPA and Mcleod Ganj," Nyima said.
The couple have two albums to their credit. The first album: Gar Lu (the court dance songs) is a highly acclaimed album, which was produced in 2004. The second album: Tibetan Girl is a pop and traditional mix album, also produced in the same year.
Nyima joined TIPA in 1983 and was appointed as a senior artiste instructor in 1992. Nyima's speciality is in Gar, Tibetan Court Songs and Dance. He was the last student of the (late) legendary Court Master Pasang Dhondup.
Dawa Dolma is also a TIPA alumni. Her international performances spanned throughout Europe, the USA, Switzerland and Japan. The album Tibetan Girl has many of Dawa's original lyrics and compositions.
The couple have been performing with many artistes and have participated in any venue they were called to join for the sake of promoting Tibetan art and culture.
Text and photos by Lobsang Wangyal
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