Cultural Group from Bhutan participates in the International Percussions Festival

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A 19-member cultural troupe from the Royal Academy of Performing Arts visited Switzerland to participate at the International Percussions Festival. The International Percussion Festival is a unique festival which presents the source of music from various civilisations. The festival took place in Lausanne from 11 to 19 November 2023. During these four days, the festival offered a set of concerts, masterclasses and animations in order to make the public discover percussion in all its aspects. Performers from 6 countries participated in the festival.

The artists from the Royal Academy of Performing Arts performed the classical Drametse Ngachamm (Drum Dance of Drametse) at the Lausanne Opera on 18 November 2023 as the main event apart from curtain raisers such as Zhey and the ballad of Pemi Tshewang Tashi. Drametse Ngacham is inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and is one of the most spiritually treasured mask dances of Bhutan.

The participation of a cultural troupe from Bhutan at the celebrated International Percussions Festival generated much interest in Bhutan's rich cultural heritage and is expected to boost tourism to Bhutan among others.

The participation of the cultural troupe from the Royal Academy of Performing Arts at the festival was coordinated by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations in Geneva and supported by Percussions Festival International Lausanne.