Full Description
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.
Contents
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
