The article goes on to interview Silk Road member Sarah Solomon who is in Turkmenistan as an intern at the US Embassy in Ashgabad. Sarah shares her impressions of Turkmenistan and tells of her upcoming participation in an international festival.
See entire article (in Russian)


November 20, 2007
‘Axis of Evil’ dancers come to D.C. cultural ground zero
The Examiner newspaper
by Harry Jaffe, WASHINGTON, DC - I’m not sure where President George Bush was noon last Wednesday, but I do know where he should have been — watching lovely women performing seductive, might I say entrancing, dances from the part of the world he keeps threatening.

Dressed in flowing silk dresses, flickering with sequins, ringing with tiny bells, the dancers stooped and twirled and mimicked the making of silk in their native lands in and around Persia — what we now call Iran.

“We call ourselves the ‘Axis of Evil’ dance company,” artistic director Laurel Victoria Gray told the noontime crowd that had come to see her troupe. Around 150 people sat in the brand new Sidney Harman Center on F Street for the first Happenings at the Harman....
See entire article


Spetember 9, 2007
Washington Post: Fall Dance Preview
''Nov 17 -- Kathakas, Silk Road Dance Company and Lori Clark, Gul-E-Bakawali perform dance drama in Kathak, Persian and Egyptian dance styles. At Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre.''
Washington Post


Spetember 7, 2007
Washington Post: Our Picks 09/09/07; Page N07
''METRO DC DANCE AWARDS-- Monday at 7:30 p.m. An awards ceremony and dance showcase feature performances of ballet, West African dance, modern dance and other styles. Artists include Culture Shock, Edgeworks Dance Theater, Joy of Motion Dance Center's Youth Dance Ensemble, Silk Road Dance Company and Nejla Y. Yatkin/NY2Dance. Kennedy Center, Terrace Theater, 2700 F St. NW. $30. 202-467-4600 or 800-444-1324.''
Washington Post


April 1, 2007
Silk Road Dance Company Celebrates Noruz in Philadelphia
Omid Alavi's photo essay at iranian.com shows many beautiful photos of SRDC's performance.
See Photo Essay


March 23, 2007
Unity Day at South Carroll High School
Silk Road Dance Company contributed a suite of dances to help celebrate Unity Day at a local high school; a write up of the event in local newspapers is here.
See Photos


February 9, 2007
Information Agency of the MFA of Uzbekistan
Russian language article on our concert, The Golden Road to Samarkand, on the website of the information Agency Jahon of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.
More info


February 3, 2007
Iran.com Features Silk Road Dance Company
See a few photos from our presentation of Persian dance at the Persian festival in Miami November 2006.
See article


November 9, 2006
THE GAZETTE newspaper: “Uzbekistan comes to Cheverly”
Photo from Silk Road's November 2006 The Golden Road to Samarkand concert iin The Gazette newspaper.
See photo


December 11, 2005
Plov Comes to DC
Mention of Silk Road Dance Company at American University's Global Uzbek Council's Uzbek Festival.
See blog


Spetember 30, 2005
James Madison University International Week
Mention of performance of Egypta: Myth, Magic and Mystery.
See item


August 24, 2005
Silk Road Dance Company to Perform on the Silk Road: Local Dance Ensemble Invited to Samarkand Festival
The award winning Silk Road Dance Company has been invited to represent the United States at an international festival, slated to take place August 24 - 31, 2005, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The ensemble is the very first American dance group to be included in the event.
Read the complete press release


August 16, 2005
IranDokht Online Magazine
Includes photos with article entitled, “Silk Road Dance Company in Samarkand.”
See article


June 16, 2005
WASHINGTON POST: “A Central Asia Tour in Spins and Turns”
Dance Camp in Mount Rainier Explores a Distant Culture
“Laurel Victoria Gray likes the Native American adage that if you want to know people, you have to walk a mile in their moccasins. But the dancer, choreographer and teacher takes it a step further, adding that you should dance in a person's moccasins, too....”
Entire article


April 1, 2005
“Our Pick” for Dance in the WASHINGTON POST Weekend section
“Seven countries, seven cultures, seven colors, seven virtues -- they're all integral to the world premiere of the Silk Road Dance Company's Haft Paykar (The Seven Beauties), a folkloric ballet based on 12th-century Persian poet Nizami's epic allegory about a prince's search for enlightenment. Silk Road Artistic Director Laurel Victoria Gray's Seven Beauties is the centerpiece of an evening of dance from Islamic lands at the Publick Playhouse's World Dance Showcase Saturday. Call 301-277-1710.” - Lisa Traiger
Article in situ


February 15, 2005
3rd Annual World Dance Showcase: “Dancing in Islamic Lands” featuring the premiere of Haft Paykar: Seven Beauties
The 2005 World Dance Showcase, sponsored by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC), will feature a new folkloric ballet, Haft Paykar (Seven Beauties), by award winning choreographer Laurel Victoria Gray and her Silk Road Dance Company...Haft Paykar celebrates ethnic diversity, extols the beauty of other cultures, and praises the wisdom of women. Written by the Persian poet Nizami in 1197, it is an epic romance....
Read the complete press release


August 28, 2004
Chicago Middle East Festival
Silk Road Dance Company's performance mentioned in entry near bottom of page; scroll down or search page for silk road.
See blog


August 1, 2004
Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice Newsletter, August 2004
Heritage Festival Features a Wedding! by Jan Powers
“A Central Asian Wedding,” performed by the Silk Road Dance Company, will be one of the featured acts at the thirteenth annual Adams County Heritage Festival, scheduled for Sunday, September 19 at the Gettysburg Recreation Park, Long Lane. Featuring sumptuous costumes and unusual dance techniques, the performance will include Uzbek, Afghani, Tadjik, Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Iranian, and Egyptian dances, offering a unique glimpse of the life, culture, and art of regions little known to the US.
Entire article


June 28, 2004
Egypta Favorably Reviewed in THE WASHINGTON POST, June 2004
“The evening was a visual treat of whirling, glittery costumes, fluid movement narratives, rich, exotic music and a dance troupe that was clearly having fun....”
Complete reivew at Egypta.com


December 1, 2003
Silk Road and Laurel Gray Win 2003 IAMED Awards
Silk Road Dance Company is proud to be the recipient of the IAMED Dance Company of the Year award. We are also delighted to announce that Laurel Victoria Gray has been awarded the Choreographer of the Year award.
More info


July 1, 2002
THE WORLD AND I magazine, July 2002
“Dancing the Silk Road“ by Stephen Henkin
Extensive article on Artistic Director Laurel Gray and the Silk Road Dance Company, including several beautiful color photos.
See article


February 16, 2002
THE GILDED SERPENT, Winter 2001-2001
Remembering the Legends The John F. Kennedy for the Performing Art presents the Silk Road Dance Company, by Janet Jubran
With an overflow crowd in attendance, Remembering the Legends opened with haunting, evocative music and mysterious fog that hearkened back to the dawn of time....
Entire article


December 1, 2001
HABIBI magazine, Volume 19, Number 1, pp. 94-95
Laurel Gray's Silk Road Comes to the Kennedy Center, By Elizabeth Artemis Mourat, M.A., MSW
On November 10, 2001, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presented the Silk Road Dance Company in Remembering the Legends. Inspired by myth and history of ancient cultures of Central Asia and the Caucasus, the concert promised to cover three thousand years of women's contributions of healers, warriors, queens, artists and lovers. Laurel Victoria Gray created the concept, choreography, and costume design...
Entire article


November 10, 2001
Remembering the Legends Review by Roxann Sabin
This is a wonderful performance that has been made available over the internet. Laurel Victoria Gray has put together a one hour performance, with eleven separate pieces, celebrating 3,000 years of women as healers, warriors, queens, artists, and lovers.
Entire review


March 29, 2000
THE WASHINGTON POST, March 29, 2000, BEST BETS
ROAD SHOW
Centuries before Christ, the 7,000-mile network of trade routes known as the Silk Road linked China and the Mediterranean, carrying the luxury fabric and other goods. But the road also served another valuable function: as a conduit for the dissemination of religious, artistic and cultural traditions. The Washington-based Silk Road Dance Company, founded in 1995 by Laurel Victoria Gray, continues in the same spirit. Clad in elaborate, colorful costumes, the company presents dance styles from the Middle East and Central Asia. The troupe performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Harmony Hall Regional Center, 10701 Livingston Rd., Fort Washington. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students. Call 301-203-6070.



January 14, 2000
NC State Campus Review, January 14, 2000, What's Up
A preview of our performance at NC State. uploads/press_1142000_2.jpg
See clipping


January 12, 2000
SPECTATOR ONLINE NEWSPAPER, January 12, 2000, Headliners
Persian Pleasures
As a minority group living in America, people from the Middle East have to constantly struggle against ill will and racist feelings. To help dispel these common misconceptions and bridge the cultural gap, the Iranian Cultural Society of N.C. presents Rhythms of Persia this Saturday. The major performance features the premiere of the Silk Road Dance Company, a 14-member dance ensemble out of Washington, D.C., who celebrate the traditions and cultures along the famous trade route, and divine songs of the award-winning soprano Mitra, who performs a special selection of Iranian folk melodies. So come on out and help bring diverse Triangle communities together. Saturday, Jan. 15, 7 p.m., at Stewart Theatre, NCSU campus, Raleigh. $20/$15/$8. Tickets: 828-1588 (Raleigh), 286-2700 (Durham), 929-2779 (Chapel Hill).



October 9, 1998
Excerpts from WASHINGTON IRANIANS, Vol. 2, No. 49, October 9, 1998
Mehregan Celebration at Iranian Cultural Center
“The Iranian Cultural Center celebrated 'Mehregan' on the afternoon of Sunday, October 4, 1999. Shaheen Dahimi was the organizer of the program. Among the audience were students of the center, their parents [and the daughters of Prince Reza, successor to the late Shah of Iran, now living in exile in Virginia].

Traditional instrumental music was followed by dance performances, which included beautiful numbers from Laurel Victoria Gray and Kizlarkhon Dustmukhamedova (People's Artist of Uzbekistan) and the Silk Road Dance Company. The colorful costumes represented the variety and richness of Iranian culture and were beautifully designed.”