Silk Road Dance Company, cultural understanding through Beauty and Delight
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Silk Road Dance Company was founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray - former World Dance professor at George Washington University - and recipient of the "Xalqlar Do'stligi" Medal from the Government of Uzbekistan for her decades of work in preserving and promoting Uzbek dance culture. Her Silk Road Dance Company offers programs which reflect the depth and breadth of field research and study conducted by Gray who has received many awards for her life-time of creative work

The award-winning, critically acclaimed Silk Road Dance Company (SRDC) presents an extensive repertoire of more than 200 dances from Central Asia, Iran, the Middle East, South Asia,  the Caucasus. and beyond.  With the goal of promoting “Cultural Understanding through Beauty and Delight,” their pioneering performances offer a unique glimpse of the life and art of ancient cultures, especially the Islamic World.The ensemble has given  performances internationally  in Uzbekistan, Qatar, Singapore, United Kingdom and Canada. Based in Washington, DC, the ensemble has graced prestigious national venues including two White House performances and  11  Kennedy Center appearances. They have given presentations for 11 different embassy events.

COSTUME and CHOREOGRAPHY CLEARANCE!

Silk Road Dance Company is downsizing our vast Costume Collection. Several of our authentic, lightly worn group and solo costumes are available, along with the choreographies for which they were constructed.
  • Sets of Matching Costumes for Troupes: Perfect for group performances, our coordinated sets ensure a unified, eye-catching presentation.
  • Ancient Egyptian Theme Concert: Costumes and Props, premiered in 2003 at Kennedy Center.
  • Solo Costumes Available: Individual dancers may choose from our unique solo options.
  • Quality Fabrics & Sturdy Construction: Many of these our costumes are created from premium materials, with durability in mind—built for the art of dance, not just “dress up.” Many are sewn from imported textiles. (But no tariffs because they are already here.)
  • Authentic Choreography Packages: Choose from group or solo traditional or folkloric pieces from our award-winning choreographer.
Friday June 6, 2025 7:30pm
Takoma Park
Community Center Auditorium
7500 Maple Ave   Takoma Park MD
Free to public/ No tickets needed
Bazaar opens at 7pm
Post Concert Reception On Site
Selections from our repertoire:
UZBEK-UYGHUR-TAJIK-AFGHAN-AZERI-PERSIAN-GEORGIAN

Dance Journeys:
Two Authors, Three Books
with Dana Tai-Soon Burgess and Laurel Victoria Gray    
AUGUST 7, 2025    6:00-7:30pm

Milestones in Dance History 1st Edition (2022)  
Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly (2022)
Women's Dance Traditions of Uzbekistan:
Legacy of the Silk Road (2024)

JF Books
1509 Connecticut 
Washington, DC 20036

NEW BOOK: Women's Dance Traditions of Uzbekistan

2025 BOOK EVENTS
WASHINGTON DC
Elliott School of International Studies
ONLINE
University of Wyoming Book Club
New Books Network Podcast
Dance Studies Association New Books

2024 BOOK TOUR
LONDON
BBC Television
Embassy of Uzbekistan
University of London SOAS
SEATTLE
Seattle- Tashkent Sister City Association
WASHINGTON DC
Embassy of Uzbekistan
NEW DELHI, INDIA
Tillotoma Foundation (virtual)
LARAMIE, WYOMING
University of Wyoming
Central Asian Student Association
WASHINGTON DC
Arts Club of Washington
CHAMPAIGN URBANA, ILLINOIS
University of Illinois
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center

What Scholars and Critics
Are Saying:


DANCE CHRONICLE (excerpt)
"Her rigorous scholarly and practice-based work certainly lends itself to an in-depth exploration of a geographic region rarely explored in dance studies, with a distinct emphasis on women’s dance—an area of expertise few practitioners or scholars can confidently claim....his book contributes significantly to the emerging field of Uzbek dance."
Leila Mire
"Dancing Women: Navigating Uzbekistan's Cultural Crossroads"
DOI: 10.1080/01472526.2024.2374193

CENTRAL ASIAN SURVEY (excerpt)
"The author also beautifully situates Uzbekistan at the crossroads of many influences,whether from the Silk Road, Moscow or Paris – or  beyond. This is especially clear during Gray’s discussion of ethnic Koreans and Crimean Tatars’ deportation to the region in
the 1930s and 40s...I very much hope that Women’s Dance Traditions of Uzbekistan gains a broad audience of scholars and laypeople alike. In so doing, it will spread the story of the Uzbek national dance that Gray has herself both experienced and studied for several decades."
Leora Eisenberg "Women’s dance traditions of Uzbekistan: legacy of the silk road" https://doi.org/10.1080/02634937.2024.238546

"Gray’s quality research is informed by over forty years of scholarship that includes academic training as a historian, complemented by embodied knowledge as a dancer, choreographer, and educator. Her dedication to Central Asian dance and cultural diplomacy enable her to seamlessly share a unique insider’s perspective of the origins and the development of the region’s dances."
Dance Professor Emeritus,
Dana Tai Soon   Burgess,                            George Washington University

“Author, Laurel Victoria Gray, through her ground-breaking book, Women's Dance Traditions of Uzbekistan, reveals a comprehensive and fearless probe into the little-known passion and courage of women of Uzbekistan. Gray, a brilliant teacher, colleague and world-class cultural scholar at George Washington University, Washington, DC, delivers enormous insight into the often closed-door worlds of women along the Silk Road.”
Dance Professor Emeritus,
Maida Winters,                                       George Washington University

“The first comprehensive book on Uzbek dance, its history and geography ... The book's unique features and scholarly merit make it a standout contribution to the field, placing it firmly in the "must-read" category ... This long-awaited publication...deserves high recognition.”
Dr. Razia Sultanova,
University of Cambridge, UK

Colors of the Silk Road!
Textile Museum Family Festival
September 7, 2024 10am-4pm
Free to Public


The annual Family Festival is a favorite event at the Textile Museum in Washington, DC. This year, Silk Road Dance Company will share Uzbek, Tajik, Afghan, and Kurdish dances. (And a guest appearance by an Uzbek ikat dragon!)
PHOTO CREDIT: Ali Khaligh
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       Silk Road Dance Company
          in Laramie, Wyoming

        CASA Celebrates Central Asian
                    Awareness Day
               Skylar Lewis, Guest Writer
University of Wyoming,   Laramie, Wyoming               Tuesday, April 23, 2024
 
As part of the University of Wyoming Central Asian Student Association (CASA) Central Asian Awareness Day and Navruz celebrations, the renowned choreographer, dance scholar and founder of the award-winning Silk Road Dance Company, Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray, also referred to as “the pioneer of Uzbek dance in America,” was invited to UW's campus for two days of presentations and performances from the Silk Road Dance Ensemble.

Michael R. Brown, the UW Emeritus Communications and Journalism professor, who has been working with students and professionals from Kazakhstan since 2012, spoke on the significance of Dr. Gray's work in Central Asia.

“Uzbekistan was at the crossroads of the Silk Road with influence from Turks, Persians, Arabs, Chinese, Uyghurs and Russians, among others. While many Americans may not be familiar with this part of the world, to have an opportunity to work in this part of the world and share it as both very interesting and very important.”

“Dr. Gray's work has received international recognition by the most important academic and cultural organizations who honor dance... she has been named Honorary Professor at the Uzbekistan State Institution of Arts and Culture, invited to participate in Uzbekistan's State Academic Bolshoi Theater, participated in UNESCO's Sharq Taronalari Festival in Samarkand, honored by the Ministry of Culture in Uzbekistan,” and received a Distinguished Service Award from the Embassy of Uzbekistan,” Brown said.

“To be honored by the culture you represent is the highest honor, and a true indication of honesty, accuracy, and high achievement in her work to understand Uzbek dance,” he said.

On Thursday, Dr. Gray took to the Coe Library to not only give a detailed lecture about the long, and at times suppressed, history of dance in Uzbekistan, but also to announce the official publishing of her book, Women's Dance Traditions of Uzbekistan: Legacy of the Silk Road, of which free copies and signings were offered to the attendees present at the lecture.
 Dr. Gray's presentation illustrated a brief timeline of how this cultural aspect of the Uzbek people, particularly Uzbek women, came to manifest itself, the challenges that women faced and overcame to perform this art in public. While the lecture gave a more encompassing view of the region's history, Dr. Gray's book offers a much more comprehensive overview and further insight into the social into the political, social and cultural aspects of the Silk Road region that calls itself home to Uzbek dance.

Friday featured a set of related events from Dr. Gray, her Silk Road Dance Ensemble and well-known dancer and musician, Zamira Salim, as part of CASA's 12th annual Navruz celebration, an event or festival which normally falls on or around March 21 and is widely celebrated in many Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan as the beginning of spring, or the vernal equinox commences.

The event was hosted in the Wyoming Union ballroom, and had an impressive turnout, with nearly every seat being taken up by its attendees. Excited to see a live performance of Uzbek dance, and share a free meal in turn.
After some short introductions from CASA’s student president, and Brown, as well as an opening performance from Salim, Dr. Gray introduced herself, her dancers, as well as some of the historical context for their performances, the first of which Dr. Gray introduced as “Kara Jorga,” or “Black Stallion.”

“Greetings dear guests, dear friends,” Gray said. “We're going to take you on a whirlwind tour of Central Asia through dance and the very first place we are going into is Kurdistan [actually Kyrgyzstan], which may seem far away with nothing in common with Wyoming, but you would be wrong because I've seen all the equestrian statues in this town. So we brought you some horses, well actually, horseback riders.”

 Following the performances of Salim, Dr. Gray’s Silk Road dancers who performed “Black Stallion” and a solo traditional Uzbek dance for attendees, was a short intermission as organizers of the event began to call up tables to serve a traditional Central Asian style dinner, which was provided to the event by one of its sponsors, Thai Spice.

As attendees enjoyed the food and company of others, they were offered consistent entertainment through the rest of the Navruz celebration as the Silk Road Dance Ensemble continued to perform several cultural dances for the crowd until the event’s end.

March 8, 2024

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Nowruz concert in Baltimore
Details to follow

March 9, 2024

MARCH 10, 2024
ANNUAL NOWRUZ FESTIVAL
HILTON FAIRFAX
12777 Fair Lakes Cir,
Fairfax,Virginia

March 13, 2024  @ 6PM

BOOK PREVIEW!
Women's Dance Traditions of Uzbekistan:
Legacy of the Silk Road
with Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray

THE ARTS CLUB OF WASHINGTON
2017 I Street N.W., Washington D.C. 20006

SPACE LIMITED!
  RSVP

March 16, 2024

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NOROOZ MARKET
BROOKLAND ART WALK
WASHINGTON, DC

University of Wyoming
April 18th Lecture by
Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray
April 19th Silk Road Dance Company

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In Loving Memory of Our Ustoz
Kizlarkhon Dusmukhamedova
People's Artist of Uzbekistan

Legacy of the Silk Road

February 26, 2023
 Photos by Michele Egan
Click to set custom Hhttps://www.facebook.com/UZEmbassyDC/videos/6083099388435649TML
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A dance concert by inspired by Laurel Victoria Gray’s forthcoming book “Legacy of the Silk Road,” evoking the history and enchantment of Central Asia and beyond. The dance of an ancient Persian fertility goddess, the Sogdian whirling dance that captivated Chinese poets, and a court dance for the Emir of Bukhara – these are some of the intriguing pieces that will take the audience on a time-traveling journey through the diverse cultural history of the Silk Road.

NEW BOOK!
Women's Dance
​Traditions of Uzbekistan:
Legacy of the Silk Road
CLICK TO PRE ORDER

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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.

Silk Road Dance Company
performs at the US State Department for a
Seven Nation Navruz Celebration

New Publication!

Read about the Sogdian Whirl,
Kathak connections, and the evolution of Bhangra in the chapter by  Laurel Victoria Gray -
"Silk Road: Commerce, Conquest, and College."

EMBASSY CHEF CHALLENGE
October 13, 2022

Silk Road Dance Company added flavor to the EMBASSY CHEF CHALLENGE at the beautiful Smithsonian American Art Museum.

SHAHNAMEH!
Adventures from the Persian Book of Kings

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"We in the Washington area are lucky to have the Silk Road Dance company bring us a living version of the Shahnameh. I'm so glad that more people can know of this masterpiece of Persian literature that is over 1,000 years old. And the emphasis that Laurel Victoria Gray, puts on the authenticity of the choreography and the costumes really shines through the performance. There's really nothing like it in the country!"
                                            Deborah James
                                           Washington, DC

LAZGI FESTIVAL
in Khiva, Uzbekistan April 2022

Lectures by Artistic Director
Laurel Victoria Gray
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SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
Cultural Heritage Conference
Khiva, Uzbekistan
This lecture examines how aspects of Khorezm history and traditions may provide solutions to global crises with insights gleaned from archeology and literature. These reflect ritual connections between a goddess of water, purification, and dance. Biomedical research and personal experiences in Uzbek dance provide insights into the healing benefits of Lazgi. Cultivating the embodied wisdom of ancient spiritual practices can guide future steps to healing the planet and ourselves.
Recent international conference presentations on dance by our Artistic Director in
September and October 2020.
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Fulbright Association Virtual Conference
Presentation at International Conference Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Research Paper for International Conference

Lecture on Uzbek Dance History
August 19, 2020 @ 7:00 pm

This lecture responds to assertions that contemporary Uzbek stage dance is an artificial Soviet-era invention and examines pre-revolutionary dance traditions among the Central Asian women. Gray proposes a more nuanced understanding of the origins of the gestural heritage of Uzbek dance that reflects traditional life ways, making it a vital element of cultural expression.
REGISTRATION: $10 Register at http://www.uzbek-dance.org/
By Alana Hayes

Silk Road Dance Company (SRDC) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year! And, you’re all invited to the party! Welcome! Please, come in. Find a chair. Yes, this is the party. Take a seat. Grab a kebab. There will be a fundraising auction at the end of this event. I’m kidding, there won’t be an auction. This is the party though! Hosted by, yours truly, The Haifa Girls. If you would like to help support Silk Road Dance Company and their efforts for the preservation of women’s culture along the Silk Road, then you can right here.

Silk Road Dance Company is based out of the DMV (DC metro area). The company was founded in 1995 by Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray, who also happens to be a Professor of World Dance at George Washington University. I met Laurel while I was still in college (I went to UMBC) through a friend who danced in her company and I immediately fell in love with Silk Road. I loved their mission, I loved that it was a cultural organization, I loved the dances, the clothing, and Laurel herself. She’s just such a knowledgeable person and she’s so passionate about what she does that you can’t help but fall in love with all of it too.

       CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE


Our New Persian Dance Video:
Barge Khazan

Click to set custom HTML

PERSIAN DANCE: Zendegi Ghashange
Hâyedeh هایده

AYDIGHE DANCE OF THE CAUCASUS:
A Cool Mountain Breeze

AZERBAIJANI DANCE:
Scene from Operetta Arshin Mal Alan

TAJIK DANCE:  Furug

KYRGYZ DANCE:
Echoes of Kyrgyzstan

AZERI DANCE:
Sari Gelin

KAZAKH DANCE:
Karatorgai

UZBEK BUKHARA DANCE:
Sozanda

Uyghur Dance:
Dolan Meshrep

PERSIAN DANCE:
Barge Khazan

AZERBAIJANI DANCE:
Naxchivan Yally

PASSPORT DC:
Embassy of Azerbaijan

The Golden Road to Samarkand

Saturday, February 22, 2020 @ 2:15pm $25
ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
1333 H Street NE Washington DC 20002

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Dance Journey Along
the Silk Road

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Experience the dazzling diversity of Silk Road dances, from the deserts of Central Asia to the mountains of the Caucasus.  Silk Road Dance Company performs with special Guest Artists. Enjoy a pre-concert Silk Road Bazaar of intriguing items. Concert is free with a $10 suggested donation; no tickets or reservations  required. Sponsored by the City of Takoma Park's Takoma Park Arts series.

DC Turkish Festival


SEPTEMBER 29, 2019
Festival held on Pennsylvania Ave between 12th and 14th Streets NW
PHOTO CREDIT: JEFF MALET

16th Central Asian
Dance Camp
PHOTO CREDIT: Embassy of Uzbekistan

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August 9 -11, 2019  Washington DC
Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan
People's Artist of Uzbekistan Kizlarkhon Dusmukhamedova

The concerts below are presented by the Fairfax County Park Authority. Free to the public & held outdoors.
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/performances

JUNE 22    
IRANIAN PERSIAN  HERITAGE NIGHT
Ossian Hall Park @ 7:30pm

JULY 13     
UZBEKISTAN HERITAGE NIGHT
Ossian Hall Park @ 7:30pm

AUG 17      
HOORAY FOR BOLLYWOOD
Workhouse Arts Center @ 7pm

2018 Uzbekistan Independence Day
at the World Bank

LECTURE AT TEXTILE MUSEUM
Living Legacy: Women's Dances of Uzbekistan

APRIL , 2018 NOON

Annual Family Festival
at the GWU Textile Museum

SHAHNAMEH!
Adventures from the Persian Book of Kings
​OCTOBER 21, 2017 @ 7 pm
Takoma Auditorium
​$10 suggested donation

A magical bird, an evil dragon, a clever princess, and a valiant hero bring to life the Shahnameh, an ancient masterpiece written over a thousand years ago. With vivid choreography and ornate costumes, Silk Road Dance Company presents  fantastical tales from ancient Persia.

Tirgan 2017
Iranian Arts Festival
Toronto, Canada   July 27 - 30

Silk Road Dance Company Performs
in "Asia Rising" Concert  in Cincinnati

University of London SOAS:
​Living Legacy:
Women's Dances of Uzbekistan
Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray
OCTOBER 8, 2016  5 - 6:30 PM
​University of London SOAS    Room B104

State Department Reception at
US Chamber of Commerce
​for Central Asian States
August 3, 2016

Evening at the
​Embassy of Georgia
​July 27, 2016 @ 7 PM

                 Embassy of Georgia
            1824 R Street   Washington, DC
Join the diplomats of the Embassy of Georgia for a special evening of native food, wine, music, film, art - and a very special Georgian fashion show and dance presentation by Silk Road Dance Company.

Baltimore Sun Covers
World Refugee Day​ Celebration

             
Silk Road Dance Company presented dances
of the Middle East and Central Asia.
Click here to read entire article  

Persian Dances in Celebration of Iranian Culture at Fiesta Asia DC


Thanks to the initiative of group of young Iranian-Americans in Washington, DC, Iranian culture was  represented at Fiesta Asia  festival this year - the largest celebration of Asian culture and heritage in the nation's capital. Silk Road Dance Company performed contemporary and folkloric Iranian dances.

Embassy of Uzbekistan  Hosts
​Concert Reception for
"Dance Treasures of Uzbekistan"


On May 14th, Silk Road Dance Company presented traditional dances of Uzbekistan to a full house at the Takoma Auditorium. The program was introduced by
Abdufarrukh Khabirov, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Uzbekistan. After the concert, audience members enjoyed a reception with traditional Uzbek cuisine generously provided by the embassy. Guests also had the opportunity to view traditional Uzbek crafts and speak with embassy representatives about the country.

Azerbaijan Republic Day Celebration  with Silk Road Dance Company

Silk Road Dance Company
at Embassy of Pakistan for Passport DC


CLICK HERE  to read full article about event.

Haft Paykar: Seven Beauties
Silk Road Dance Company's Folkloric Ballet
Based on Nizami's Tale of 7 Princesses

Photo Essay by John Walter:
​2015 Silk Road Dance Festival

Uzbek Government Website
Highlights Silk Road Dance Company Concert

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Russian Language Article on Silk Road Dance Company in  Bukharian Times Newspaper

How Silk Road Dance Company Got Its Name

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Learn more about the ideas and influences that led to the founding of Silk Road Dance Company.
Click here to read the 2013 Blog Post about this fascinating, creative  journey.

     
Silk Road Dance Company 
Wins Special Honors and Awards

Since 1995, Silk Road Dance Company's pioneering artistic achievements in presenting women's dance of the Islamic World has earned them many awards and honors. Read more...  ______________________________________  

Government of Uzbekistan Awards Laurel Victoria Gray with "Xalqlar Dosligi" Medal

          From Uzbek Ambassador
                Javlon Vakhabov:

"A wonderful evening The Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the U.S. and Canada hosted yesterday launching the 18th Central Asian Dance Camp. It was my great honor to present the award “Friendship Among The Peoples” to Laurel Victoria Gray (Silk Road Dance Company) for her invaluable contribution to enhancing people-to-people ties and promoting #Uzbekistan culture in the U.S.

Laurel Khanum has not only dedicated her life mastering Uzbek dance in the U.S. and far beyond, but also remains most humble, professional, and passionate about what she is doing. And this lady is an internationally recognized scholar, choreographer, performer, costume designer, pioneer of Uzbek dance in America. I am inspired by her noble personality that always searches for new discoveries.

Laurel Khanum has mastered dances from Silk Road cultures and beyond. She combines her degrees in history with decades of field research and teaches dance at The George Washington University. Dr. Gray founded the award-winning Silk Road Dance Company (SRDC) in 1995, bringing the lovers of our culture together at the Central Asian Dance Camp annually, showing the beauty during many events across the U.S. and far beyond.

Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray, in one word, is our treasure in the U.S. Thank you for everything you have been doing over the years. I hope to continue our long-lasting friendship."

Remembering Tamara Khanum Uzbekistan's Heroine of Dance 
by Laurel Victoria Gray


PREFACE:

In 1984, as a member of an official delegation visiting Seattle’s sister-city, Tashkent, I received a rare invitation to the home of People’s Artist of the USSR, Tamara Khanum, the first woman in Uzbekistan to dance in public. The excerpts below come from my article, "Tamara Khanum: Uzbekistan's Heroine of Dance," which originally appeared in a 1985 issue of Arabesque Magazine and is reprinted here with their permission.
 
All great dancers sacrifice for their art, but very few risk their lives in this endeavor. Tamara Artemyevna Petrosian[1] placed her life in jeopardy merely by dancing, for the arena she chose was a public one in a land where women courted death for daring to appear unveiled. In her dedication to her art, Tamara became a revolutionary heroine.

Born in the Ferghana region in 1906, Tamara Khanum absorbed the culture and traditions of the Uzbek people although her lineage was Armenian. As a child in pre-revolutionary Turkestan, she grew up in a society where women led circumscribed lives, venturing into public only when concealed in the paranjah.[2] “Women were never allowed to speak with strangers, much less sing or dance in front of them.” [3] Women confined their dancing to the ich-kari, the women’s quarters, and danced for each other.

During the 1920s, when the Bolsheviks consolidated their power, social reforms - including the emancipation of women - accompanied their political and economic changes. In 1927, women gathered in Samarkand’s Registan Square to burn their veils. Many earned death for their boldness.

Tamara Khanum opened a new era for Uzbek arts. Her bravery became a political act when she brought ancient dances out into the brilliant light of the 20th century; public appearances were fraught with genuine danger. She became the target of the Basmachi: traditionalist, anti-communist bands of partisans which challenged Soviet authority. “The Basmachi tried many times to kill me,” recalled Tamara Khanum, “but I escaped. The people helped me; they hid me.” Not all were so lucky. She pointed to an old photograph of a delicate young woman.[4] “She was my student,” Tamara Khanum explained, “but she was killed.” Her grief was still fresh.

The times required that an artist also be a fighter.[5] Those early years passed without glamour or ease. “I danced anywhere,” Tamara Khanum reminisced, “on rooftops, in the streets, in the villages. I remember walking with the baby at my breast, another child at my side, holding my hand, and on my back, a bundle filled with my costumes. Like this I walked to the villages and danced, while in the audience sat women still wearing the paranjah.”

She took her art to Paris where, in 1924, she performed at the World Exhibition of Decorative Arts wearing the “voluminous, chaste garments and heavy jewelry of Central Asian women.”[6] Her manner and dress contrasted vividly with the pseudo-oriental “unclothed ‘eastern’ dancers plying their trade in the Paris Music halls.”[7] Tamara's dance was genuinely feminine, and perhaps even provocative in its very subtlety, but never vulgar. Through her, the West witnessed an ancient art nurtured by generations of women in the protected seclusion of the ich-kari.

With energy and purpose, Tamara Khanum had changed the nature of Uzbek dance. The old classical pieces tended to be solemn, the movements as confined as the lives of the women who danced them.[8] Tamara Khanum, and other dancers who followed her lead, injected a vibrant new spirit into traditional material.[9] Movements now cover more space, and the body is used to a greater degree.

Tamara Khanum’s valor found another challenge during World War II. Through her performances of dance and music she kept up the morale of a threatened nation and raised enough money to buy a tank to send against the Nazis. She was an officer in the Soviet army. “I wore a uniform, and I carried a pistol,” Tamara Khanum said proudly. “But I never shot anyone!” she exclaimed. “I did my shooting with songs and dances.”

I found myself standing on the threshold of her home accompanied by Uzbekistan’s prima ballerina, Bernara Karieva, whose patient diplomacy had secured this audience. Like a gracious queen, Tamara Khanum welcomed us into her home, looking nothing less than glamorous in a pink and gold caftan. She seized me firmly by the shoulders and propelled me about the room while identifying the members of her family whose pictures graced the walls; all were remarkable for their physical beauty and their accomplishments in various branches of the arts. Here, too, hung photographs of Tamara herself: at age 30, 40, and at 50, in Paris, and in London.

She led me into another, larger room. We stood in the midst of Tamara Khanum’s private museum. Costumes of countless nationalities crowded the racks along the wall, while others hung from coat stands or were draped across dress forms, all silent partners to a dancing career which spanned more than half a century, surviving revolution and world war.

Tamara Khanum introduced her costumes as if they were personal friends.  The collection included costumes fashioned from the famed textiles which earned the great Silk Road its illustrious name. An iridescent pink and gold brocade khalat shimmered next to an opulent Bukhara coat of wine velvet encrusted with intricately embroidered arabesques wrought from gold by patient hands. Dresses of riotous khan atlas clamored for attention, exploding with dizzying combinations of color and pattern.
In a silent corner stood a dress form covered by an austere black garment. “My paranja, “explained Tamara Khanum, indicating a grim shroud for the living, a mute specter of Uzbekistan's past.

Tamara Khanum steered me toward a glass case filled with antique Turkic jewelry. Among the treasures, gleamed a delicate jeweled crown of the kind which graced the dancers in old miniatures.

With a regal gesture, Tamara Khanum beckoned me to a table prepared according to the dictates of Central Asian hospitality.
“You are my first American guest,”[10] she announced, and then left the room to reappear with steaming dishes prepared with her own hands. Other guests arrive filling the rooms with more laughter and artistic talk. Tamara Khanum’s generosity make her home an oasis for the leading lights of Tashkent's cultural circles. “It is always like this here,” confided Bernara Karieva, glowing with an obvious admiration.

The hours fled unnoticed. I was jolted back to awareness when I was told my flight to Samarkand would soon leave. I begged to stay and continue my dance lessons but Tamara Khanum was emphatic. “You must see Samarkand. You must see old Uzbekistan and understand us.” Her firm insistence melted my resolve. If Tamara Khanum said I should go to Samarkand, I would go to Samarkand. She kissed me and sent me off, my arms filled with gifts and mementos.

That evening, a cool desert wind swept through the streets of Samarkand, echoing the ghostly hoof beats of conquering hordes. So many struggles, so much strife had passed here. But some of the battles have been worth fighting, and Tamara Khanum was one of his Uzbekistan's most valiant heroines.

 ENDNOTES
[1] The paranjah is an opaque, enveloping cloak that covers a woman from the top of her head to her ankles and is worn over the chuchvah, a woven horsehair panel that completely hides the face and upper torso.
[2] Mary Grace Swift, The Art of the Dance in the U.S.S.R. (Notre Dame, Indiana; University of Notre Dame Press, 1968). p. 180
[3]  Nurkhon Yuldasheva
[4] Tamara Khanum cited by O.I. Shirokaya, Tamara Khonim. (Tashkent, Gafur Gulam Literature and Art Publishing House, 1973),    unnumbered pages.
[5] Swift, p. 181.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Swift, on p. 242, citing Nikolai Elizov, “The Uzbek Dance,” Trud, No. 17, (September 1, 1955), p. 31.
[8] R. Karimova, Tantsy ansamblya Bakhor, (Tashkent, 1979), p. 7.
[9] While I was probably the first American guest in this particular home, I was not the first American guest to be hosted by Tamara Khanum. Langston Hughes beat me by several decades.
Asian Cultural
Celebration Keynote:
Silk Road Dance Company
OCTOBER 24, 2021 @ 4pm
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, Virginia

Silk Road Dance Company
Kicks Off 25th Anniversary at Intersections Festival

February 18, 2020
by Leslie Holleran

What better way to launch a dance company’s 25th year than with a sumptuous performance? And so, Silk Road Dance Company will perform The Golden Road to Samarkand at Atlas Performing Arts Center’s Intersections Festival in Washington, D.C., on February 22.
           CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE

Uzbek Newspaper Report on
Central Asian Dance Camp

Russian Language Newspaper Report on our Central Asian Dance Camp at Embassy of Uzbekistan

https://m.uz.sputniknews.ru/culture/20190813/12230803/V-SShA-prokhodyat-master-klassy-tantsevalnogo-iskusstva-Uzbekistana.html?mobile_return=no
Uzbek TV Report on our concert
THE GOLDEN ROAD TO SAMARKAND
  Our beautiful 2019 NAVRUZ video by Nazir Abbas.

 Silk Road Dance Company Performs at White House
Nowruz Celebration

The First Lady introduces Silk Road Dance Company at the historic March 11, 2015  White House Nowruz Celebration.

“I think it’s so fitting that we are holding this celebration here today because, one of my favorite things about the White House is how it is truly the people’s house. A house that reflects the diversity of culture and traditions that make us who we are as a country. And Nowruz is one of those traditions.”

First Lady Michelle Obama
March 11, 2015
Read the remarks by First Lady Michelle Obama and her introduction of Silk Road Dance Company by clicking on the link below:

Remarks by First Lady at Nowruz Reception

Artistic Director Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray Spotlighted in NGOMA Dance Magazine

Read the Interview interview by clicking here!

Dancing in the District
By Jaelynn Grisso

Dance conveys a culture without words, and dancers in Washington share the cultures they love from around the world. Each has unique characteristics, from dances of everyday activities in Central Asia to tributes to great kings in Africa. 

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE

Silk Road Dance Company Performs at  2014 White House Nowruz Celebration

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Silk Road Dance Company presented Iranian, Tajik, Uzbek and Azerbaijani dance traditions at the very first White House Nowruz Celebration held on March 21, 2014.

Click here for link to WHITE HOUSE coverage.
Silk Road Dance Company, with the
Embassy of Uzbekistan, performed the concert   "DANCES OF UZBEKISTAN" at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

Click here to watch concert online!

Silk Road Dance Company
at Celebration of Textiles

Silk Road Dance Company returned to the Textile Museum to share dances from Central Asia and the Caucasus. Read more about the event by clicking on this link.

"Dance Along the Silk Road "
WE ARE TAKOMA

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Click here to view this concert online

Watch Our Videos on YouTube! 
​Click Here.


Highlights from the 4th Annual Nowruz Commission Gala with participation by 
Silk Road Dance Company

The Queen and I : Documentary on Empress Farah Pahlavi with an appearances by Silk Road Dance Company at  1:22:56.

Silk Road Dance Company featured in VOA Uzbek Service report on Navruz. concert.

Persian  language report of Nowruz party at home of famous Iranian artist  Nasser Ovissi with performance by Silk Road Dance Company soloist. 

Singapore television broadcast on the Asian Civilisations Museum special "Treasures of the Aga Khan" exhibit with Silk Road  Dance Company's performances.

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