(ECNS) -- More than 10 teenagers rehearsed in a yard in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, preparing for a special performance presenting various traditional Tibetan programs like Tibetan opera, Nangma and Toeshey.
Nangma is a genre of classical Tibetan dance usually performed in imperial palaces and Toeshey, a popular folk dance in rural areas of western Tibet.
The young actors began their formal performance Thursday evening with traditional Tibetan costumes on.
Their average age is 13. They've been studying traditional Tibetan arts in their spare time out of love.
"I've become more outgoing after I learned Tibetan opera. It changed me a lot. I want to build my own Tibetan opera troupe in the future and teach it to children," said a Tibetan student actor.
"I performed as the mother of the hero in Baima Wenba. I love Tibetan opera and hope to make contributions to the inheritance of this culture," said Tshering Dorji, another Tibetan student actor.
"Traditional Tibetan opera is usually performed outdoors. Today they performed it indoors and interacted with the audience, reminding us the popular form of immersive theater. They also improvised on the spot, for example, some interesting English lines. I think this novel form will attract more young people to learn and inherit Tibetan opera," said Sang Dong, Associate Research Fellow of Tibet Autonomous Region Institute of National Art.
