Plateau taps its way onto the stage

Billed as one of China's first full-length Tibetan tap dance dramas, the production is built around Lhaze Doishey, a folk dance from Xizang listed as national intangible cultural heritage. It also incorporates elements from other traditional Tibetan dance forms, such as Dingri Lhoshey, Lhokha Gorshey and Nagchu Sheychen.

Huang Doudou, the work's artistic director and vice-chair of the China Dancers Association, describes the production as the first step toward expanding the art into a sustained theatrical narrative.

"With its long history and distinct artistic features, Tibetan tap dance in many forms has long been popular in daily life and on stage," he says.

"But expecting it to convey a complete story throughout an entire performance is a different challenge, particularly on the plateau."

The challenges were both artistic and physical.