Women?s Dance Traditions of Uzbekistan : Legacy of the Silk Road

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.

Author: Laurel Victoria Gray

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Publication Date: Apr 18, 2024

Number of Pages: 273 pages

Language: English

Binding: Hardcover

ISBN-10: 1350249513

ISBN-13: 9781350249516