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