Gorshey: happy circle

Gor means circle, and she means dance, so gorshey means a circle dance performed by a group of people.

The dance is welcomed by Tibetans everywhere, especially in Tibet’s Lhokha prefecture.

Tibetans dance the gorshey in open areas such as squares, threshing grounds and grassland. Men and women dance hand in hand and sing in rotation. Spectators cheer them on.

The Gorshey may be the most common dance in Tibet, as people all over the region know how to perform it. The most renowned version of the dance is found in Lhokha.

The gorshey concludes with a proud rap verse that excites the crowd, for example: “No place elsewhere more beautiful than my hometown; no houses any more comfortable than ours; no young people any happier than us.”