Dances of the Silk Road and Beyond

Upcoming Events!

          DANCE TOUR
       OF UZBEKISTAN!
        September 2014

Discover Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage with Silk Road Treasure Tour’s  Dance Along the Silk Road! Led by Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray, an internationally recognized dance scholar, award-winning world dance choreographer, performer and costume designer, this unique travel opportunity focuses on the history, art, and dance traditions of Central Asian. Guests will study dance with native artists “in context” while traveling along the ancient Silk Road to the Uzbekistan’s legendary cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. Even non-dancers can enjoy the beauty of special performances and meetings with leading Uzbek artists. Dr. Gray, honored by the Uzbek Ministry of Culture for “her great contributions to the development of Uzbek culture and art,” will share her extensive, insider knowledge of Uzbekistan, its people and culture.

   TOUR DETAILS AT LINK BELOW
        Silk Road Treasure Tour

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Envisioning the East:
Russian Orientalism
and the Ballet Russe
by Laurel Victoria Gray

Many of the twentieth century’s notions about Eastern dance came not  from the
Arab world, but from Russia. The most notable and successful  exporter of
pseudo-oriental dance was the Ballet Russe, the legendary  company that
enchanted the world with its portrayals of forbidden harems and provocative
temptresses. Included in the ensemble’s repertoire were the so-called “oriental
ballets:” Scheherazade, Cleopatra, Thamar, Le Dieu Bleu, Les Orientales and the Polovestian Dances from Prince Igor. Here the genius
of Russian composers, dancers, choreographers, and  theatrical designers merged to create a dazzling vision of the exotic  East, a vision so powerful that it
continues to shape popular notions  about Eastern dance to the present day.
Click on title link to read entire article.

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September 28, 2014
DC Turkish Festival

Join Silk Road Dance Company
at this annual celebration of
Turkish and Turkic culture!

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Laurel Victoria Gray:
American Pioneer of
Silk Road Dance

An award-winning choreographer, performer,  dance scholar and costume designer, Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray has 
has devoted her life to mastering dances from Silk Road cultures and beyond. She combines her degrees in history with decades of field research into Islamic civilizations, cultures, and traditions. Dr. Gray's scholarly articles have appeared in many publications. She has taught and performed throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and  the East. She  has lectured extensively and currently 
teaches dance at George Washington University.
 
Known as 'the pioneer of Uzbek dance in America',  Dr. Gray first became involved in cultural exchange in 1979 and has led several arts delegations to the former USSR. She founded the award-winning Silk Road Dance Company (SRDC) in 1995 with the goal of fostering “cultural understanding through Beauty and Delight.” SRDC performs throughout the United States --and in Samarkand, Doha, and Toronto --sharing  traditional Iranian, Turkic and Arabic cultures.

An alchemical artist, Laurel Victoria
Gray creates enchanted worlds woven from her knowledge of history, literature, music and dance,  breathing life into ancient civilizations with her magical concert length works, like Egypta, Haft Paykar: Seven Beauties, The Golden Road to Samarkand, and more.
 
Known for her memorable, poetic choreographies based on the movement 
vocabulary of  traditional Persian, Arabic and Central Asian dance forms, 
Dr. Gray has created her own systems for teaching traditional Arabic and Persian dance, as well as an innovative movement technique known as “Silk Road Synthesis.”

Greatly influenced by her dance studies on five continents,  Dr. Gray combines both Eastern and Western methodology in her classes, encouraging students to refine their technique while building confidence and exploring self-expression. As an instructor and lecturer,  she conveys information in an organized fashion,
spiced with humor and charm.

A wide variety of World Dance workshop offerings reflect Dr. Gray's lifetme of study and travel -- Russian Romani ("Gypsy"), Dance of Turkic Nomads, Classical Persian Dance,  Central Asian styles, Azerbaijani, Ancient Egyptian and many other exciting and unique topics.

She believes that since dance predates spoken language as a form of human
communication, we all can access it as a universal source of joy and ecstasy.

Student Stories:
Bollywood Performance Class
with Laurel Victoria Gray

By Erika Kottenmeier
(excerpt)

The Bollywood Performance Class at Joy of Motion Dance Center has turned out to be so much more than a dance class. Dr. Gray, a professor at The George Washington University, has not only instructed us in the steps of a dance in the traditional kathak style, but also taught us the intention behind each movement. By explaining the meaning of the lyrics and the cultural context, she helps us convey the right amount of emotion in each step, which I’ve learned is so important in a dance style where your eyes say as much as your body. Subtle movements are far more difficult to execute than large, dramatic steps, but as we practice together to achieve synchrony, it is becoming clear that small movements can have a very large impact. It has been fascinating to learn this new language. I am very excited to be a part of the Bollywood performance, and have thoroughly enjoyed my class with Dr. Gray.
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE:
https://danceisforeveryone.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/student-stories-bollywood-performance-class-with-laurel-victoria-gray/

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