Silk Road Dance Company Repertoire


Our repertoire includes a rich array of dances from all over Central Asia and the Middle East, including traditional dances handed down over generations, careful historical recreations, fusion pieces, and dances that interpret ancient stories for modern audiences. Years in parentheses indicate when dance first debuted.

Afghani

Sweet, feminine gestures and a compelling rhythm characterize this dance selection.
Choreography: People’s Artist of Uzbekistan, Qizlarhon Dustmuhamedova

Al Ward Al Foll
The Perfume of the Rose
Rose sellers entice market visitors with their wares in this playful Saidi-style Egyptian dance.

For more information on the Amazons, visit the official website of the Center for the Study of Eurasian Nomads at www.csen.org
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Amazonka (1994)

Many legends, including Greek sources, tell of the Amazons, warrior women from Colchis on the Black Sea. Their unusual costuming is based on ancient depictions of Amazons in Scythian style clothing and new archeological research by Professor Jeannine Davis -Kimball. The music, composed by Steven Flynn, is based on the Georgian War Dance, Khorumi, as are some traditional dance elements.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Aweedouni
With music by Egyptian pop singer Amr Diab, this group choreography incorporates Raqs Sharqi styling typical of dance stars like Nadia Hamdi and Dina.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Azerbaijani Suite (2002)

Located in the Caucasus, the Azerbaijanis are a Turkic people with a rich musical and dance heritage. This selection of festive dances reflect the energy, grace, humor, and lyricism of Azerbaijani dance.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Azzizam (1999)

A joyous, lyrical dance in the Persian classical style set to the music composed for the singer Haydeh. The lyrics remind us that even when life is difficult, it is still beautiful.
Choreography, copyright by Laurel Victoria Gray
Photo credit: Omid Alavi

Photo credit: Laurel Victoria Gray
Baba Karam (1998, 2007)

This humorous Iranian piece is a playful imitation of the machismo style of dance done by working class men of South Tehran.
Choreography: Keylan Qazzaz, Debra Annalise Pacheli, Shadi Mesdaghi

Bandari
In Persian, bandar means "harbor." This spirited Iranian folk dance from the Persian Gulf reflects not only close ties with the peoples of the Arabian peninsula, but also tribal African traditions of trance dance, brought to Persia by the slave trade.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Banquet Dance
From "Egypta"
Inspired by tomb paintings of a banquent scene, this lively and energetic dance incorporates high kicks, jumps, and percussive elements. The sistrum were musical instruments used in ancient Egypt to make sounds pleasing to the Goddess Hathor.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Boi Boi

Set in the energetic Khorezm style, this Uzbek dance has a mischievous flavor. Dancers wear bells on their wrists to accent the precise movements of the hands.
Choreography:People's Artist of Uzbekistan, Qizlarhon Dusmuhamedova

Bollywood

These dances celebrate the popular Indian film dance style that draws on folk and traditional elements as well as MTV and Arabic dance. Colorful costumes and catchy tunes enhance high-spirited, hip-swinging fun for the whole village.

Chinese Princess of the Sandalwood Pavilion
from Haft Paykar: Seven Beauties
In sandalwood lies the soul’s ease;
its odor doth the spirit please.
Nizami, Haft Paykar

This piece is inspired by the legends of the celestial maidens, or apsaras, depicted in the cave frescoes of Dun Huang on the Silk Road. The dancers' costumes replicate the styles shown in the paintings dating back over a thousand years.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray; solo elements created by Cynthia Lin

Photo courtesy Audrey Ichida
Cry of the Heart

Inspired by the Sufi ritual of zikr, or remembrance, this choreography draws on gestures from many different cultures of the East which reflect the heart's innermost yearnings. It also depicts the plight of millions of women who, unseen, have no political voice.
Choreography: Laurel Victoria Gray Costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray, Elaine Lamirande & Cindy Connelly Ryan

Dancer of Shamakha
The Dance of Shamakha" is based on the eponymous work by Armen Ohanian, who describes her life at the beginning of the twentieth century in the Caucasus and Persia. The town of Shamakha, now part of Azerbaijan, was famous for two things -- silk and dancing girls. "Glorious in all Asia Minor," Ohanian explained, "these dancers wandered, city to city, kindling all hearts with the fiery music of their...tinkling ornaments...Goddesses with languid eyes, in which smoldered the fires of all human passions, bodies trembling, waving delicate veils..." The music is a traditional Azerbaijani wedding melody and the costume is based on a 19th century watercolor.
Choreography and costume design/construction: Laurel Victoria Gray
Photo courtesey Audrey Ichida

Darya Toshkin

The river is flooding, says the singer, referring to his overflowing emotions. He praises the beauty of his beloved and imagines her in a colorful silk dress. The style of the piece is in the lyrical Ferghana Uzbek genre.
Choreography: Laurel Victoria Gray

Death of Egypt
from Egypta
A priestess of Isis, Cleopatra is embraced by her Goddess and prepared for eternity by Anubis. With the death of Cleopatra, the last ruler to practice the ancient Egyptian religion, Egypt fell under Roman rule.
Choreography and costume design/construction: Laurel Victoria Gray

Debke

Arabs of the Levant are known for a genre of energetic line dances known as debke or dabka that are central to communal celebrations. In this particular piece, Silk Road Dance Company presents some familiar line dance elements to an innovative song that combines a famous debke tune with the pop song I Put a Spell on You.
Costume and choreography: Laurel Victoria Gray

Desert Rose

This contemporary group veil piece is set to the song by Sting. Sweet desert rose, each of her veils a secret promise. This desert flower, no sweet perfume has ever tortured me more than this.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Egypt is the Gift of the Nile (1995)
from Egypta
According to one creation myth, life began in the form of a lotus blossoming forth from the primeval waters. The Nile was revered as a god who waters the plains and valleys which Ra has created to nourish all life...Creator, sustainer who brings richness to the earth.

I saw in thought
Limitless power with the Light
To form an infinite yet ordered world
I saw in the darkness of the deep
Chaotic water without form
Permeated with a subtle intelligent breath
Of divine power
THE WORD fell on the fertile waters
Making them pregnant with all forms.
from The Hermetica

Esther’s Choice

The Bible tells of the courageous Queen Esther who pleaded to King Ahasuerus on behalf of the Jews of his kingdom, whom he had condemned to slaughter. Esther and her seven handmaidens fasted for three days before the young woman risked her life by appearing unsummoned before the king.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Photo credit: Omid Alavi
Ghassemabadi

From the southern Caspian region, this Iranian folk dance celebrates the bounty of Nature. The movements depict the work of the women in the fields.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Ghoomar

The women of Rajasthan perform Ghoomar dance on any joyous occasion, to celebrate life stages and yearly festivals. Traditionally when a new bride enters her husband's family home, she dances with the women of the family to celebrate her new status as a wife.
Choreography: Jogendra Sundar Desai; Music: Traditional

Guldasta
A modern classic in the Uzbek dance repertoire, Guldasta means "a bouquet of flowers." It typifies the demanding Bukharan style with acrobatic elements and dazzling spins.
Choreography: Peoples’ Artist of Uzbekistan, Isaqar Aqilov, Costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Hayrona (Uighur)

The Uighurs are a Turkic people with a rich, ancient culture.They are currently found throughout Western China, Mongolia, and Central Asia. Wang Yen De, the Chinese ambassador in the Karakhoja Uyghur Kingdom in 981-984, praised their civilization and the beauty of their arts,crafts, and architecture.
Choreography: Olimdjon Bekhnazarov; Staging: Laurel Victoria Gray
Photo credit: Omid Alavi

In the Temple of Isis
from Egypta
A loving wife and mother, the Goddess Isis was known for her magical powers. Hymns praised her as "she who made light with her feathers and wind with her wings."
Choreography and costume design/construction: Keylan Qazzaz and Laurel Victoria Gray

Katta Oyin (“Grand Dance”)

A classical dance of Samarkand toUzbek drum rhythms.
Choreography: Muharram Turganbaeva; Music: Traditional Uzbek drum rhythms

Keling Gular
Come, Rose-like Maidens
Dancers accent their movements in this playful Bukharan folklore piece by striking saucers with finger thimbles.
Choreography by People's Artist of Uzbekistan, Viktoria "Violat" Akilova

Khaleegy

Adorned in spectacular traditional dresses called thobes, dancers toss their hair with exhuberance in this social dance for women from the Arab Gulf states.
Choreography: Debra Pacheli

Khoda Khoda-ye Mastoun

Wearing the shaliteh skirt that became popular at the Persian court of Nasseredin Shah in the late 19th century, the dancers perform flirtatious gestures to a song that compares love to a feeling of drunkenness.
Choreography by Laurel Victoria Gray

Kungil Taronasi

A classic piece from the repertoire of the celebrated Bahor Ensemble, this dance combines lyricism with the technically demanding spins for which Uzbek dance is famous.
Choreography by People's Artist of Uzbekistan, Mukarram Turganbaeva

Larzan

In Kurdish, larzan means to shake or tremble. This festive line dance is based on traditional Kurdish folk dance steps. The fiery energy of this piece melts the snows of Winter.
Choreography: Keylan Qazzaz, Costume design: Keylan Qazzaz and Laurel Victoria Gray

Memories of Macedonia
The dance of the Balkan Roma (Gypsies) features shoulder shimmies, fast footwork, and hip movements. The asymmetrical 7/8 rhythm creating a pulsing, driving energy.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Momo's Arabesque

This elegant choreography in the classical Egyptian style was created expressly for Silk Road Dance Company by legendary Egyptian dancer, choreographer and performer, Momo Kadous.

Muhabbat
The song lyrics to this Afghani dance express a sense of longing. While the girl must remain home behind closed doors, her beloved is free to roam the world.
Choreography: Peoples’ Artist of Uzbekistan, Isaqar Aqilov

Munazhdat

Mundzhat is a lament to God. It is also the title of poem by the 15th century poet, Alisher Navoi. The dance itself, set to classical Uzbek music, can be interpreted on two levels. One is the story of a young woman who is forbidden to marry the man she loves. She prays for deliverance form this situation and, in her despair, hallucinates, thinking she sees her beloved before her. She dances joyously only to realize that the apparition is an illusion. On a spiritual plane, Munadzhat is an allegory symbolizing the soul’s yearning for union with the Divine.
Choreography: Peoples’ Artist of Uzbekistan, Isaqar Aqilov

Narnari
This elegant and regal dance from the Caucasus displays the proud beauty of Georgian women. The style is characterizes by graceful arm movements and the difficult gliding steps called "nannari."
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Ojos Asi
Grammy winner Shakira has a Columbian and Lebanese heritage which is reflected in the Spanish and Arabic lyrics of this song. The dance style also blends Spanish and Arabic elements, a legacy dating back to the 8th century Moorish invasion of Spain.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Persian Miniature
The graceful, flowing lines of Persian miniature paintings come to life in this piece. The poetry, by Jalaleddin Rumi, praises the beloved.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Pilla

This charming piece, performed to the rhythm of the Uzbek frame drum (doire), depicts the work of women who create silk. First, they feed the silkworms tender mulberry leaves. Later they spin thread, weave fabric, and embroider scarves.
Choreography: Tamara Khanum, People’s Artist of the USSR; Music: Traditional Uzbek drum rhythms

Priestess of Renenutet
from "Egypta"
An early Egyptian diety, the snake goddess Renenutet was responsible for the fertility of crops, humans, and animals. A guardian of the Pharaoh, as well as of the granaries and fields, Renenutet was often depicted as a woman with a cobra's head. "Her gaze is said to vanquish all enemies" but "this same intense emanation from her eyes causes things to grow."
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Pyramid
from "Egypta"
In spite of numerous theories, scholars still cannot agree on how the ancient Egyptian pyramids were built. The mystical power of these monuments have inspired this choreography.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Queen Mandukhai the Wise

Beloved by the Mongolian people, Queen Mandukhai waged war beside her horsemen, carrying out the work of unification begun by her grandfather, Genghis Khan. She was also respected as a good wife and mother.
Choreography: Laurel Victoria Gray. Costume purchased in Mongolia and embellished by K. Qazzaz
Photo courtesy Audrey Ichida

Raqs As-Assaya
The origins of the Egyptian cane dance can be traced back to Pharoanic times and was originally a men’s combat dance. The women’s version is playful and flirtatious.
Choreography: Laurel Victoria Gray Costumes purchased for SRDC in Egypt

Raqs-e Pari

In Persian folktales, the pari was a beautiful, fairy-like creature who sometimes visited the realm of mortals. In this dance, paris are lured to earth with joyous music, enchanting everyone with their loveliness.
Choreography: Laurel Victoria Gray; Dress design: Sharlyn Sawyer, Dress construction: Uzbekistan State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Opera and Ballet and SRDC, Hat design/construction: Laurel Victoria Gray

Reng-e Shushtari
The term "reng" refers to the portion of a classical Persian musical suite which is suitable for dance, featuring a typical 6/8 rhythm.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Ritual Harvest Dance
from Egypta
Peasant women enact the labors of planting and harvesting while giving thanks for an abundant harvest.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Roxanne: Beloved of Alexander
Daughter of the Soghdian ruler Oxyartes, Roxanne was introduced to Alexander the Great during a banquet. Her solo includes elements of the "whirling dance" of the Soghdians.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Royal Linen

Under the gaze of the overseer, weavers and spinners labor to create the fine, delicate linen destined for royalty. But when their stern mistress departs, the women sing and dance. They enjoy a moment of gaiety, imitating the aristocratic ladies who will wear garments fashioned from the fabric the weavers have created. (This piece was inspired by a artifact in the Cairo Museum.)

Samarkand Ushori
This dance was gifted to the Silk Road Dance Company by People's Artist of Uzbekistan, Kizlarkhon Dustmukhamedova, who is the Artistic Director of Ensemble Munadzhat.
This piece features the elegant, regal poses which typify classical Uzbek dance. The music is a setting for Farsi poetry by Zebunnisa, a grand-daughter of Tamerlane, and is performed by Zuleikho Baikhonova.
Choreography is by People's Artist of Uzbekistan, Kunduz Mukarimova, and was created by Tashkent's Ensemble Munadzhat.

Samaya
Samaya dates back to pre-Christian times and was traditionally perfromed in groups of three women to offer thanks to the Moon Goddess, Nana, for the birth of the first girl child into a family. Samaya derives its name from the Georgian word "sami," meaning "three."
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Saname
The Tadjik people live in Central Asia and speak a language related to Persian. This dance depicts Tadjik girls who go to the river to fetch water and enjoy the company of their friends.
Choreography: People’s Artist of Uzbekistan, Qizlarhon Dustmuhamedova, Costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Shamanka: Voices of the Foremothers
In traditional Central Asian culture, the shamaness served her community as a vital link between humans and the spirit world. She was a healer and a prophetess. Her costume contained many magical elements and her drum helped her travel to the spirit world. The dance is set to a song by Mari Boine Person who is Sami, a member of the Sami ethnic group living in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The Sami — also known by the pejorative term "Lapps" — belong to the same Uralo-Altaic language family as the Turkic peoples of Central Asia and share a shamanic tradition with them.

Hear the voices of the Foremeothers. Hear!
They ask why you let the earth become polluted
Poisoned, Exhausted
They remind you where you come from
Do you hear?
Again they want to remind you
That the earth is our mother
If we take her life
We die with her.
Choreography and costume design/ construction: Laurel Victoria Gray
Photo courtesey Audrey Ichida

Shukalata

In Arabic, shukalata means chocolate and everyone loves sweet chocolate. The costumes and movements contain Nubian folk dance elements.
Choreography: Laurel Victoria Gray Costumes purchased for SRDC in Egypt

Spoon Dance
This lively folk dance comes from the Surkhon Darya region of Uzbekistan. The style is quite distinct from other Uzbek dances causing speculation that it may hearken back to the Greek influence left in the wake of Alexander the Great's invading armies.
Choreography by People's Artist of Uzbekistan, Kadir Muminov

Spring Rain in the Rose Garden

In a scene inspired by delicate Persian miniature paintings, two harem ladies venture out into the garden to enjoy the first roses of spring. They are caught in a sudden downpour but soon the sun reappears and they remain outdoors to enjoy the beauty of nature.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray, Costume construction: Margot Venner and the Turkestan Theatre of Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Suno Re

This dance prefigures the melding of Indian and Central Asian dance, which met under Tamerlane’s descendants, and eventually became the classical Indian form, Kathak. The words speak of a longing for lost love and the anguish of being trapped like a bird in a cage. Soloist: Joanne Giaquinta
Choreography: Laurel Victoria Gray

The Goddess Nuit and the Dance of the Cosmos (2003)

Each day at sunset, Nuit swallows the solar disk, giving birth to it again at dawn. Her starry body contains the Cosmos; the stars rotate around her, enacting the unending cycle of birth and death, death and rebirth.

The present issues from the past,
and the future from the present.
Everything is made one by this continuity.
Time is like a circle,
Where all the points are so linked
That you cannot say
Where it begins or ends,
For all points precede
And follow one another for ever.
from the Hermetica


Costume design for Nuit and Stars: Elizabeth Anna Groth, Headdresses and drum design: L. V. Gray, Drum painting: Debra Pacheli

The Seven Hathors

Attempting to restore order and harmony, priestesses entreat Hathor for help. The Goddess of Love and Dance, Hathor sometimes manifested herself in seven sacred forms. The Seven Hathors determined the fate of an infant at birth and were often called upon in magical spells.

Timurid Court Dance
Tamerlane gathered artists and musicians from many Silk Road cultures to his court at Samarkand, resulting in a melange of Indian, Chinese, Mongolian, Turkic, Persian and Arabic elements.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Tongi Malikasi
Dawn of the Princess
A lovely young maiden rises to greet the day. She braids her hair, gazes into a mirror and daydreams about her future.
Choreography by People's Artist of Uzbekistan, Isakhar Akilov

Tsiganka! Russian Roma (Gypsy) Dance

The Romany people (Gypsies) were celebrated performers in Imperial Russia, often entertaining at festivities hosted by the aristocracy. Their soulful melodies and vibrant dances found a kindred spirits among the Russian Slavs. This tradition continues today at Moscow's Theatre Romen, which was founded in 1931. This piece is inspired by the rich legacy of Russian Roma dance.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Tulips of Badakhshan

This dance features traditional Tajik gestures seen in Badakhshan, a region comprising parts of northeastern Afghanistan and of Tajikistan.
Choreography: Laurel Victoria Gray

Turkish Rom (Gypsy)
The Roma (Gypsies) have long been celebrated dancers and singers in Turkey, often using the distinctive 9/8 karsilama rhythm. The gestures are unique to the Turkish Rom.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Urumchi

In the Tarim Basin of Chinese Turkestan, tall, red-headed mummies were discovered wrapped in plaid twill. This archeological find ranks as the oldest site of proto-Celtic origin.
Choreography and costume design: Laurel Victoria Gray

Wedding From Bukhara

The cultural heritage of Bukhara contains elements from both Turkic and Iranian cultures. The sozanda — traditonal female women entertainers — blend Uzbek and Tadjik features into their music and dance.
Choreography: Travis Fontaine Jarrell and Laurel Victoria Gray

Wrath of Sekhmet
Enraged by humanity's blasphemous disregard for all the gifts of the Creator, the Goddess Sekhmet assumes her form as a lioness. She steals the solar disk, the Eye of Ra – the Sun God – and turns the powerful rays upon the human race, burning and destroying them. Knowing that Sekhmet loves to drink blood, the Gods color beer with red dye and pour it upon the desert floor. Deceived, Sekhmet laps up the beer, and falls into a drunken stupor, releasing her hold on the solar disk.

Written in the Stars (2006)
Fortelling Prince Ulugh Beg’s Fate
Scientist and astronomer, Prince Ulugh Beg was the grandson of Tamerlane and Governor of Samarkand. He built an observatory and his star catalogue was so accurate it was used for centuries. Like Galileo, he was opposed for his stalwart belief in the importance of scientific inquiry and was assassinated. The stars, portrayed in this piece, foresee his fate but are helpless to turn it aside.
Choreography: Laurel Victoria Gray

Yelpesse (Turkoman)

The Turkoman people maintain a proud nomadic heritage and a superior repution as horse breeders and artisans. Their carpets, metalwork, and embroidered garments have long been prized by collectors world-wide. Here two groups of girls meet and show off their weaving skills, lovely long braids, and glittering jewlery; many of the dance movements are drawn from daily gestures of nomadic life, including playing music, weaving, spinning yarn, and weaving.
Choreography: Olimdjon Bekhnazarov; Staging: Laurel Victoria Gray

Zeffa and Raqs Shamadan
The zeffa is a procession traditionally performed at Egyptian wedding and is also the name of the distinctive rhythm associated with it. The raqs shamadan feature the dancer’s ability to balance a heavy candelabrum while performing isolated movements and acrobatic feats.