Women’s Dance Traditions of Uzbekistan
Author | : Laurel Victoria Gray |
Publisher | : Bloomsbury Publishing |
Total Pages | : 273 |
Release | : 2024-03-21 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781350249486 |
ISBN-13 | : 1350249483 |
Rating | : 4/5 (86 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: The first comprehensive work in English on the three major regional styles of Uzbek women's dance – Ferghana, Khiva and Bukhara – and their broader Silk Road cultural connections, from folklore roots to contemporary stage dance. The book surveys the remarkable development from the earliest manifestations in ancient civilizations to a sequestered existence under Islam; from patronage under Soviet power to a place of pride for Uzbek nationhood. It considers the role that immigration had to play on the development of the dances; how women boldly challenged societal gender roles to perform in public; how both material culture and the natural world manifest in the dance; and it illuminates the innovations of pioneering choreographers who drew from Central Asian folk traditions, gestures and aesthetics – not Russian ballet – to first shape modern Uzbek stage dance. Written by the first American dancer invited to study in Uzbekistan, this book offers insight into the once-hidden world of Uzbek women's dance.