Rave reviews for performers who once baked bricks to earn a living
Print Edition
THIRTEEN years ago, Penpa Drolkar was too busy baking bricks to harbor dreams of being lead dancer in a Tibetan opera troupe.
Today, she is among a group of performers in a spectacular show featuring ethnic singing and dancing at the Tibetan Opera Art Center in Lhasa, capital of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
Penpa Drolkar works for the Yuanda Migrant Workers’ Troupe, which consists of 49 farmers and herders, all amateurs. A number of them also used to bake bricks.
“Many people can’t remember our troupe’s name, so they simply call us the ‘brick-bakers’ troupe because we used to fire bricks,” said Penpa Drolkar. Yuanda means “ambitious” in Chinese.
When the troupe formed in 2005 it was a loose collection of a few migrant workers passionate about performing in their spare time.
“The troupe staged a few shows for the military and performed for free at construction sites for the Lhasa-Xigaze railway and the Nyingchi-Lhasa railway,” said troupe leader Losang Jinba.
Their performances typically feature singing, dancing, skits and the cross-talk style of comedy. As the performers are migrant workers themselves, the audience felt a close connection. When their popularity grew, they started to perform paid shows in villages around Lhasa.
“In the early days, we received coins and small notes for payment,” said Liu Hua, deputy head of the troupe. “We realized that the money must be from poor residents in poverty-stricken villages, so we just returned the money.”
Tibet has about 2.3 million farmers and herders, 74.4 percent of its population. Many still live in poverty.
The troupe has attracted the attention of professionals.
Jamyang Gyatso, a director with a regional song and dance ensemble, was deeply moved by the migrant workers’ passion and simplicity.
“I was surprised at what they delivered, but I also felt bad for the workers,” said the director. “They can seriously sing and dance, but they needed better material, a signature performance that is distinctively the ‘brick-bakers.’”
Jamyang Gyatso created a show titled “Working between Heaven and Earth” which debuted at the Tibetan Opera Art Center last week to immense success.
But it was not easy creating a big show for amateur performers, Jamyang Gyatso said.
“For professionals, I can easily explain some movements and get the idea across to the actors within a few minutes, but for migrant workers, it could take a whole day for just one movement,” he said.
But since the show is about workers, using worker performers like Pengpa Drolkar is necessary, he said.
Tenzin Tsering, former head of the regional ethnic art research institute, said the actors “delivered like pros.”
“They were born workers with an understanding of working lives, so their performance was natural, which is precious,” he said.
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