Ngonpa - Rigna
This ritual dance is performed before the start of Tibetan Opera. The dance is meant to purify the state on which the opera will be performed. The masked characters are called Ngonpas or hunters and they represent the deity Vajrapani-. The girls, wearing five paneled crowns with large rosettes at the ears represent Dakinis or celestial beings. At the end of the dance, everyone on stage tosses handfuls of tsampa, the grounded roasted barley in air to appease the Bodhisattvas and deities for a peace and prosperity of all sentient beings.
Tibet, the ridge of the world, is also famously known as the "Ocean of Songs and Dances." Nearly every Tibetan can sing and dance. They sing anytime for any event and dance at festivals, weddings, and gatherings as well as during their spare time. A history of over several thousand years has witnessed the development of many kinds of folk dances in Tibet.
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