The most lyrical of the three schools, Ferghana dance is characterized by intricate wrist circles and undulations of the hands and arms with pliant use of the spine and a shy, yet playful, demeanor.

    Khorezm dances often feature trembling of the hands and torso, frequent head slides and comic elements. The most popular of Khorezm dances, lazgi, was originally a healing dance, traditionally performed in place with the dancer standing on a large platter.

    Dances from Bukhara feature a proud carriage and the juxtaposition of soft, undulating movements with crisp, staccato motions. The Bukharan style is the most acrobatic of the three, requiring fast spins, sudden drops to the floor, and deep backbends.

    In all three schools, the dancer may sometimes were wrist bells to add a percussive element to their movements. Traditionally, both folk and professional forms of Uzbek dance were of a solo nature with group dances being virtually non-existent.

    Although Russia conquered Turkestan in the mid nineteenth century, local traditions went largely undisturbed until 1924 when the region became incorporated into the USSR. The Bolshevik campaign to eliminate the custom of veiling soon lead to public performances of dance by women.

    Born in Margilan in 1906, Tamara Khanum was one of the first women to defy tradition and perform unveiled, often courting death at the hands of reactionaries. In 1924, she performed Uzbek dance at the World Exposition in Paris, marking the first time in modern history that Central Asian dance had been seen in the West. One of Tamara Khanum’s colleagues, a young dancer named Nurkhon, was murdered by her own brother for dishonoring the family by dancing in public. Nurkhon later became the subject of a musical drama by Kamil Yashin. 

    The Uzbek Ethnographic Company was established in 1926 create concerts staged by masters of traditional dance. Ten years later the first Uzbek folk song and dance ensemble was formed and, in 1956, another collective Shod (Joy) was established. In 1958, an ethnographic song and dance company was created in Khorezm but the most celebrated of all Uzbek dance ensembles, Bakhor (Spring) was founded in 1957. Under the artistic direction of Mukaram 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 choreographers have been trained at the Tashkent Institute of Culture with teachers not only from Tashkent, but Leningrad and Moscow as well. 

    The first Uzbek musical theater was established in 1929 and the pantomime Pak (Cotton) was staged there in 1933, with choreography by Konstantin Bek, Usta Kamilov, and Mukaram Turgunbaeva. 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, Turgunbaeva, and Alexander Tomsky. In both cases, the dances were based on folk from 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 were 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, boldly introducing 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 traditional dance are Galia Ismailova, Ibragim 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.