In Tibetan, Chaksam-pa means Bridge-Builder and is one of the many names attributed to a famous Tibetan saint known as Thangtong Gyalpo, who lived in the 14th century in Tibet. He is considered to be a patron saint of Tibetan medicine, as well as the founding father of Ache Lhamo, Tibetan opera. Legend has it that Thangtong Gyalpo recruited villagers and gathered support to build suspension bridges all over the wide Himalayan rivers in Tibet to access pilgrimages to the sacred Buddhist sites.

The bridges we build now are those of cultural exchange, sharing the unique, but threatened, traditions of Tibet with audiences and artists around the world.

A song, silenced in its home.

Since the invasion of Tibet, the Chinese have suppressed the rich traditions of Tibetan music, dance, and drama in an effort to assimilate this ancient culture. But the art survives, barely, in refugee settlements in India, and now, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Chaksam-pa is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) traditional Tibetan performing arts organization, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

• In San Francisco, a small group of master performers have joined together to form Chaksampa, offering this unique art to a world audience in hopes of keeping it alive for another generation.

• Offering performances of Tibetan drama, music and dance, of the highest standard and the widest possible audience. Fostering the appreciation of Tibetan culture and drawing attention to its threatened survival.