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Videos for Sale: Video Review "An Introduction to Uzbek Dance"By Janet Jubran Looking for new inspiration, new ideas, new worlds to conquer? An exciting discovery awaits! Laurel Gray's engaging video, "An Introduction to Uzbek Dance" opens the door to a little known dance form bound to enchant everyone who experiences it. The video certainly adds a whole new dimension to our knowledge of women's dance of the Islamic world and the central role of expressiveness. These Uzbek women dance as if their hearts are ready to explode with feeling and their incredible arm and hand movements promise to revolutionize the American approach to the use of the upper body in dance. Dancers will find much to learn from the Uzbeks. The uplifted carriage, ever-changing facial expressions and amazing arm movements are layered on top of each other with a grace and ease which is deceptive. Because their technique is so good, these dancers can surrender to the music with their whole being. The joy and innocence they radiate reveals the inner dance of the heart. As the famous Uzbek dance scholar Rozia Karimova has said about her native dances, "Uzbek dance has never been merely a movement of the body. It is always a blend of form and content, beauty and idea." Laurel Gray's wise decision to include historical and cultural information in the video helps Americans absorb this dance form as a whole. She also discusses the three major regional styles of Uzbek dance, clarifying the nuances of each. This video is more than a performance video. It is a travel adventure, a history lesson and a visual delight. The well-written narrative and documentary approach is certainly worth programming on public television. The explanations put dance sequences into context and enrich the viewer's understanding. Biographical information on leading dancer's is interesting since it reveals dancer — and Tamara Khanum in particular — as revolutionaries fighting for the simple freedom of being able to go out in public unveiled. Rare photographs, paintings, drawings, costumes and performance footage intertwine in a fast-paced whole. The hour is up before one is ready and non-dancers find themselves equally captivated by the exotic culture of Uzbekistan. The dancers highlighted in this tape are among the top artists in Uzbekistan. There are solo sequences as well as group choreography by Tashkent's Bakhor Ensemble. But one of the best surprises in the video is the classical dance Munadzhat, performed not by an Uzbek, but by Laurel Gray. It begins like a mysterious painting that magically comes to life. Munadzhat is an acting dance and Ms. Gray's interpretation is filled with the sweet soulfulness so typical of Eastern women. She does not pale by comparison with the native dancers featured in the tape and it is no wonder why the Uzbeks hold her in such esteem. Munadzhat is most definitely Laurel Gray's dance and through it she reveals her deep understanding of Uzbek women and their struggle for freedom. Because some of the sequences were shot on location in Uzbekistan and during live performances, the footage is sometimes a bit less clear than the majority of the video. Fortunately these brief sections do not mar the overall quality of the production."An Introduction to Uzbek Dance" is wonderful! Catch this caravan of dance and travel along the Silk Road like a modern day Marco Polo. You will enjoy the discoveries you make and will thrive on the new source of inspiration for your dance. "An Introduction to Uzbek Dance" may be ordered from the UZBEK DANCE AND CULTURE SOCIETY, PO BOX 65195, WASHINGTON, DC 20035-5195. Cost is $45 which includes shipping and handling. |
