Authorizing and Empowering New Vajra Dance Teachers

by Adriana Dal Borgo

With great joy and under good auspices on Sunday January 19, 2025, at Dzamling Gar, in the presence of the Sangha of the Dzogchen Community, 13 dancers were authorized to teach the Vajra Dances of the 1st and 2nd level.

Sunday was one of the few favorable days according to Tibetan astrology and it was auspicious that the new teachers of 1st level were 12 just like the dancers in the mandala, like the sounds of the A in the Vajra Dance of the Unborn. The number 12 also represents the completion of a cycle and at the same time contains the seed of a new beginning.

To date, there are about 80 teachers in the world. It has been 30 years since Chögyal Namkhai Norbu officially gave the task of training new Vajra Dance teachers to Prima Mai and me, in a letter in 1994.

This year was the first authorization event without the physical presence of Rinpoche.

Aware that nothing can replace the empowerment by the Master, Prima and I reflected on how we could handle the new qualifications and graduation.

Among the various ideas, I found one from one of our candidates particularly interesting: to dance all together, new and senior teachers, to welcome and empower new graduate teachers.

We are used to taking refuge in the Three Jewels: after the Master and the Teaching, the Sangha is the 3rd Jewel and is the living body of the Master, depositary of his teachings and infused with his transmission. It therefore seemed a wonderful idea to invite the entire Sangha to attend the event and then to sing and dance together in the state of Guru Yoga.

And so we did, inserting a thun of the Vajra Dance immediately after the awarding of diplomas in zoom connection with many mandalas, teachers and practitioners from around the world.

We ended the successful day practicing Khaita, with a deep joy in our hearts and the certainty of the Master’s vivid presence at the center of our large mandala.

Sunday’s qualification concluded two weeks of intense supervision work with the 7 candidates present at Dzamling Gar. The others had already completed their supervisions with Prima or with me and were connected online for graduation.

As the Master told us many times, we teach with the three aspects of our existence: with the body we instruct in the movements, but we also teach with our energy and mind. When I work with future teachers, I try to raise this awareness, training and discovering together. While obviously keeping the same form in the precision of the movements, each of them will then manifest their own individuality and sensitivity in the way they relate to the students. I find it inspiring and enriching to work in this way. We are learning together.

I would like to share comments from some of the new teachers:

Dear Vajra family, I’m Maarten Schoon from Amsterdam. I feel deeply grateful for the wonderful Vajra Dance that we received from Rinpoche, and I am honored to be allowed to serve the Community as one of the first group of Vajra Dance teachers authorized after Rinpoche’s passing. The Vajra Dance is such a wonderful and profound treasure. May we come together and Dance time and time again! Amsterdam has an active, welcoming Mandala.
My gratitude goes especially to Stoffelina Verdonk, my first Vajra Dance teacher, and all the amazing teachers and dancers that taught me the little bit I know. Thank you!

I’m so glad to be with people who share their knowledge and dance skills!  (Olga Plaskina)

It’s been a magical two weeks. We collaborated together as one family. The certificates we have received are just a symbol. A symbol of trust in us and a symbol of our responsibility for the future of Vajra Dance. (Andrey Chernyakov )

During these 2 weeks spent together, Adriana taught us in a perfect way: sharing every aspect of teaching Vajra Dance with us, alternating between explanations and sharing stories with Rinpoche, between letting us try and explain the steps and giving us all the tools for deepening the movements, as well as our practice. During that time, a bond was created within our group, and I really developed care for the other new teachers. A beautiful collaboration.

We were 7 new teachers, very different from one another, and it was truly inspiring to see how each one of us has their own way of teaching, their own strength and beauty. It was like seeing roses open and discovering their color and perfume.

This morning, I went to the entrance of the Gar twice, and each time, by chance I ran into one of the teachers from our group, who was leaving the island at that exact moment. It was a beautiful coincidence and also a reminder: “we are connected” on a deeper level now. (Marija Desal)

I had a really wonderful time going through supervision at Dzamling Gar. I had some interesting experiences and came away with a deeper understanding of this method and even deeper faith in our Master. After working with Adriana during the supervision and teaching (although only partially) two weekend courses, I also have a greater respect for the teachers in our Community. It was also a privilege to have gone through the process with such a dedicated group. Even our occasional frictions served as meaningful lessons on collaboration (Justin Hudgins)

To me, the training, although it lasted only two weeks, felt like months. I remember our first dance on the mandala with the rest of the candidates — we were not yet synchronized. By the end of the course, however, we became a well-coordinated, unified team. During the course, we made a lot of concentrated effort which brought great transformations on many levels. At one point, I experienced our group as a mandala of peaceful, wrathful and joyful manifestations. I could see how every candidate possessed their unique qualities, yet together we complemented one another.

The tasks set before us were often not easy for me. For example, we had to learn how to explain the Dance of Vajra and its steps on the mandala to the students, tailoring our explanations to their individual backgrounds and perspectives, as if entering their dimension. Another challenge was learning to observe three mandalas at the same time, noticing possible mistakes and needs of all the dancers and being able to approach them individually.  These skills, when mastered, can greatly benefit us in our daily lives. They can help us develop holistic and clear perception of our surroundings – lift our gaze from our feet and finally see the people around us.  I feel immensely grateful to all the participants in the training and especially to Adriana, who served as the binding link and the heart of our interactions, and to Prima, whose inspiring presence and support were invaluable. (Olga Gomilevskaya)

New Vajra Dance Teachers First Level

Marija Desal, France
Justin Hudgins, USA
Olga Gomilevskaia, Russia
Andrei Cherniakov, Russia
Elerin Uibu, Estonia, France
Petra Zezulkova, Czech Republic
Olga Plaskina, Latvia
Izabela Jaroszewska, Poland, Italy
Francisca Fuentes Jáuregui, Chile
Maarten Schoon, Netherlands
Natalia Gershevskaya, Russia/Germany
Sarale Lizdas, USA

Second Level

Issa Cox, Perù