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About the Dance: History & Styles From: "Splendors of the Silk Road" by Laurel Victoria GrayUZBEKISTAN (continued from part II) The Uzbek Ethnographic Company was established in 1926 to create concertsstaged by masters of traditional dance. Ten years later the first Uzbek folk song and dance ensemble was formed and, in 1956, another collective Shodlik (Joy) was established. In 1958, an ethnographic song and dance comapny was created in Khorezm but the most celebrated of all Uzbek dance ensembles, Bakhor (Spring) was founded in 1957. Under the artistic direction of Mukarram Turgunbaeva, Bakhor developed a repertoire of group and solo dances based on Uzbek traditions but employing Western techniques of staging and choreography. Bakhor has toured throughout the world and at its zenith consisted of 45 young dancers who performed with an orchestra of native musicians. Nearly one hundred amateur companies exist, some of which perform dances reflecting local themes and genres. The first contemporary dance studios were founded between 1927 and 1932. Isadora Duncan performed in Tashkent and Samarkand in 1924 and later, her adopted daughter taught special classes at the Tashkent Choreographic Institute. In 1947 the Tashkent ballet school was founded, with departments for both classical and folk dance. Since 1970, folk dance choreogrphers have been trained at the Tashent Institiute of Culturewith teachers not only from Tashkent, but Leningrad and Moscow as well. The first Uzbek musical theater was established in 1929 and the pantomime Pakhta (Cotton) was staged there in 1933, with choreography by Konstantin Bek, Usta Kamilov, and Mukkaram Turganbaevea. Five years later the theater staged Shakhuda, a ballet on the political theme of the struggle against the reactionary Basmatchi bandits, with choreography by Kamilov, Tyurganbaeva, and Alexander Tomsky. In both cases, the dances were based on folk froms but classical elements were also introduced. In 1939, the Uzbek Opera and Ballet Theater named for Alisher Navoi opened in Tashkent. This theater eventually received the title of "bolshoi" an honor shared only with the cities of Moscow and Minsk in the former Soviet Union. Two of Uzbekistan's first native ballerinas wer Galia Ismailova and Bernara Karieva, who performed both Traditional Uzbek dance as well as classical ballet. In addition to ballets from the classical repertory, Uzbek choreographers have created their own works, developing new forms through a synthesis of classical and traditional dance. "Amulet of Love," "Poem of Two Hearts," and "Tomiris" are examples of these ballets. One of the most popular is Guliandom (1940) by Vera Gubstkaya, I. Arbatov, Tamara Khanum. On the basis of folk melodies collected by Gavkhar Rakhimova, the composer Evgeny Brusilovsky created the score, boldy introducting quotations from folk themes. The choreographers created the dance character of the hero by combing classical ballet with traditional Uzbek dance elements. Leading contemporary choreographers of classical and traditonal dance are Galia Ismailova, Ibraghim Yusupov, Kadir Muminov, Viktoria Akilova, Yulduz Ismatova, Damira Sagirova, Akbar Muminov, Sonmas Burhkanov, Takhir Dusmetov, and Inna Gorlina. Uzbekistan declared its independence on August 31, 1991, and annually celebrates this event with festivities in which dance plays a central role. Each year members of Tashkent’s professional dance ensembles participate in a mass dance, with music and choreography specially created for the Independence Day’s central concert. The ancient celebration of the spring holiday of Navruz has also enjoyed a renaissance in the post-Soviet era, with numerous concerts featuring dance and a competition between professional dance companies for the best new festival program. Hyper-inflation and the need for reduced government spending has forced many ensembles to drastically reduce their size. Some professional dancers and musicians have been forced to seek employment outside of the arts since the once adequate government-paid salaries are no longer sufficient for economic survival. Small, privately sponsored dance groups have sprung up, entertaining tourists, foreign business people, and nightclub clientele. Traditional Uzbek dance has become more commercial in nature, abandoning many of the older classical dances in favor of more lively numbers performed to ethno-pop style music. Access to foreign textiles and trims has resulted in traditional-style costuming being replaced by sequined gowns and rhinestone tiaras. Arabic and Turkish style dances and more revealing costumes have also become popular at concerts. Some professional companies and numerous amateur ensembles endeavor to preserve Uzbek dance traditions. Dance remains central to Uzbek life. No wedding is complete without it and televised dance performances enjoy great popularity, giving leading dancers celebrity status. Expanded contact with the outside world, especially in the 1980s, encouraged Western dance forms to flourish in the Uzbekistan, including ballroom dance and American break-dance, aerobics, and hip-hop. Cultural exchange, most notably through the sister-city relationship between Tashkent and Seattle, resulted in an increased interest in Uzbek dance abroad with non-Uzbeks in the United States and Europe studying and performing traditional choreographies. In 1985, the Uzbek Dance Society was founded in the United States to preserve and promote Central Asian culture. Today it has members in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia. ©1995, Laurel Victoria Gray Don't miss the section of Laurel Victoria Gray's "Splendors of the Silk Road" on costuming. |
