Women's Dance Traditions of Uzbekistan

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 rootsto contemporary stage dance. The book surveys the remarkable development from the earliest manifestations in ancient civilizationsto 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.

Laurel Victoria Gray is Professor of World Dance at George Washington University, US, and past Adjunct Professor of Dance of the Islamic World at George Mason University, US. In 2007, she was named Honorary Professor at the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts and Culture in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She has been the founding artistic director and choreographer for Silk Road Dance Company in Washington DC, US, since 1995.
www.laurelvictoriagray.com
www.silkroaddance.com
www.uzbekdance.org
TWITTER: @SilkRoadDanceCo @SwedeOnSilkRoad @UzbekDanceCult
INSTAGRAM: @silkroaddancecompany @qyzylbosh
FACEBOOK: @silkroaddance @uzbekdanceculture @CentralAsianDanceCamp @LaurelVictoriaGrayChoreographer @SilkRoadDanceFestival @goldenroadtosamarkand

PART ONE: HIDDEN ROOTS
Chapter 1: The Goddess and the Dancing Boys
Chapter 2: The Primacy of Rhythm
Chapter 3: Dance Zones: Khorezm, Ferghana, Bukhara-Samarkand
PART TWO: FROM THE ICHKARI TO THE CONCERT STAGE
Chapter 4: Mentors and Martyrs
Chapter 5: Cross Pollination: Moscow and Paris
Chapter 6: From Revolution to Evolution
PART THREE: TERROR AND WAR
Chapter 7: Uprooted: Koreans and Crimean Tatars
Chapter 8: The War Front and the Home Front
PART FOUR: THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING
Chapter 9: The Blossoming of Bakhor
Chapter 10: Kizlarkhon Dusmukhamedova: Queen of All the Girls
Chapter 11: Constructing Karakalpak Dance
PART FIVE: FROM RED STAR TO CRESCENT MOON
Chapter 12: New Celebrations for a New Nation
Conclusion: Lessons of Resilience