Pacham: Dance of the Heroes
The Pacham dance (དཔའ་འཆམ་) is a common religious performance which is seen during festivals in Bhutan. It literally means the dance of the heroes and refers to the uninhibited and elegant display of enlightened spirit. In theory, cham dance generally constitutes the external gestures and movements, which are expression of inner enlightened energy. Pacham represents more specifically the expressions of such enlightened energy as embodied in the graceful movements and acts of the spiritual beings known as pawo (དཔའ་བོ་) or heroes and pamo (དཔའ་མོ་) or heroines. In this context, the term pawo refers to the male deities and the pamo to the female divinities or spir...