Asian Art & Wisdom

In this heartfelt conversation, Joseph Houseal, world-leading specialist of ancient dances, reveals more about his professional and spiritual journey. Recalling fond memories with his Noh Sensei and Vajrayana Buddhist masters, Joseph elucidates the aesthetic approach to religion in Buddhism, and moreover, demystifies what a guru means.

Joseph Houseal is an ancient dance specialist. He is the director of Core of Culture – a not-for-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding intangible world culture and assuring the continuity of ancient dance traditions where they originate. At Core of Culture, Joseph has overseen dance preservation and research projects in many parts of the world, including Ladakh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal. 

Hui TANG received her PhD from University of Warwick in 2017. She now works as a curator at the National Maritime Museum in London. In the first episode of the show, we talked about enameled porcelain and the experience of doing a PhD.