The winter of 2016, the Purple Swans Dance Troupe brought the magic of the Himalayas to the Union County Performing Arts Center. Dressed in ceremonial gowns of jewel-toned silk and accompanied by the haunting strains of zither and lute, the Purple Swans presented the ancient dance traditions of the minority tribes of Greater China, whose expressive art incorporates the distinctive features of their homes from the peaks of Tibet to the banks of the Yangtze. About a thousand audiences experienced the power of a Mongolian victory dance, the joyous celebration of a rice harvest, the mournful rhythms of desert nomads, and graceful palace dances once reserved for imperial eyes alone. It is Purple Swans’ inaugural dance gala, an ethereal and unforgettable journey to Shangri-La. It is also a chance for us to give back to the community. All profits were donated to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in an effort to fight cancer.