International Press
Ministry of Culture Honors Laurel Victoria Gray in
Uzbekistan
October 11, 2007
Press Release on awarding Dr.Laurel Victoria Gray the title of Honorary Professor of Uzbek State Institute of Art
Tashkent, Uzbekistan - At a formal ceremony on August 29, 2007, at the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts, Americanchoreographer Laurel Victoria Gray was awarded the title "Honorary Professor". This prestigious award -- a post-doctoral degree second only in rank to "Academician" -- recognizes Dr. Gray\'s achievements in preserving and promoting Uzbek dance and culture throughout the world. The degree was awarded under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Academic Council of the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts named for Mannon Uygur. Founded in 1945, the Institute of Art, attracts talented young students from throughout Central Asia, training them in all aspects of the performing arts, cinema,
theatre, and television.
Since 1979, Dr. Gray has been actively involved with cultural exchange between the United States and Uzbekistan. While living in Seattle, she served on the board of the Seattle Tashkent Sister City Association. She also founded the Tanovar Dance Ensemble which specialized in Uzbek dance. She arranged the 1989 Artists of Uzbekistan U.S. tour that culminated in a performance at the Smithsonian. That same year she headed the
historic Seattle Soviet Theatre Arts Exchange which presented concerts at venues throughout Tashkent; in 1990, she coordinated the West Coast tour of the Uzbekistan Dance Company. In 1994, Gray established the annual Central Asian Dance Camp, offering classes in Uzbek dance technique and choreography to participants from the United States and Canada.
After her move to the Washington DC area, Dr. Gray founded the awarded winning Silk Road Dance Company in 1995. She often draws on Central Asian traditions to create concert programs celebrating the historical and cultural heritage of the Uzbek people.
In 2001, her work Remembering the Legends: 3,000 years of Women on the Silk Road, premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. More recently, The Golden Road to Samarkand marked the 2750th anniversary of the founding of Samarkand. In June of 2007, Gray chose the theme of Babur's Legacy: Exploring Uzbek-Indian Connections for the 11th Annual Central Asian Dance Camp. The undertaking combined dance classes and a concert featuring Uzbek and Indian artists as well as the Silk Road Dance Company.
As a dance instructor, choreographer, and dance scholar, Dr. Gray has presented
lectures and classes on Uzbek dance throughout the United States, Europe, and
Australia. She has included instruction in Uzbek dance in her university course, "Dances of the Islamic World," which has been offered at both George Washington University and George Mason University. Her articles have been included in the Oxford University Press International Encyclopedia of Dance, the World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre, Encyclopedia of Women in Islamic Culture, and the Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. She has written for many dance publications and her work has appeared in French-Canadian, German, Russian, Finnish, and Uzbek magazines and newspapers.
Press Release on awarding Dr.Laurel Victoria Gray the title of Honorary Professor of Uzbek State Institute of Art
Tashkent, Uzbekistan - At a formal ceremony on August 29, 2007, at the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts, Americanchoreographer Laurel Victoria Gray was awarded the title "Honorary Professor". This prestigious award -- a post-doctoral degree second only in rank to "Academician" -- recognizes Dr. Gray\'s achievements in preserving and promoting Uzbek dance and culture throughout the world. The degree was awarded under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Academic Council of the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts named for Mannon Uygur. Founded in 1945, the Institute of Art, attracts talented young students from throughout Central Asia, training them in all aspects of the performing arts, cinema,
theatre, and television.
Since 1979, Dr. Gray has been actively involved with cultural exchange between the United States and Uzbekistan. While living in Seattle, she served on the board of the Seattle Tashkent Sister City Association. She also founded the Tanovar Dance Ensemble which specialized in Uzbek dance. She arranged the 1989 Artists of Uzbekistan U.S. tour that culminated in a performance at the Smithsonian. That same year she headed the
historic Seattle Soviet Theatre Arts Exchange which presented concerts at venues throughout Tashkent; in 1990, she coordinated the West Coast tour of the Uzbekistan Dance Company. In 1994, Gray established the annual Central Asian Dance Camp, offering classes in Uzbek dance technique and choreography to participants from the United States and Canada.
After her move to the Washington DC area, Dr. Gray founded the awarded winning Silk Road Dance Company in 1995. She often draws on Central Asian traditions to create concert programs celebrating the historical and cultural heritage of the Uzbek people.
In 2001, her work Remembering the Legends: 3,000 years of Women on the Silk Road, premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. More recently, The Golden Road to Samarkand marked the 2750th anniversary of the founding of Samarkand. In June of 2007, Gray chose the theme of Babur's Legacy: Exploring Uzbek-Indian Connections for the 11th Annual Central Asian Dance Camp. The undertaking combined dance classes and a concert featuring Uzbek and Indian artists as well as the Silk Road Dance Company.
As a dance instructor, choreographer, and dance scholar, Dr. Gray has presented
lectures and classes on Uzbek dance throughout the United States, Europe, and
Australia. She has included instruction in Uzbek dance in her university course, "Dances of the Islamic World," which has been offered at both George Washington University and George Mason University. Her articles have been included in the Oxford University Press International Encyclopedia of Dance, the World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre, Encyclopedia of Women in Islamic Culture, and the Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. She has written for many dance publications and her work has appeared in French-Canadian, German, Russian, Finnish, and Uzbek magazines and newspapers.
Egyptian Newspaper Al-Siyasi Al-Misri Article on
Silk Road Dance Company's Performance at the
2005 Samarkand Sharq Taronalari Festival
WORLD AFFAIRS
CONVERSATION OF CULTURES
by Muhammad Salama
translated from the Arabic by J.Hy
One of the most important international cultural
activities documented by UNESCO this year, the Fifth International Oriental Music Festival, was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan last August.
Twenty-five countries participated, and Egypt won a prize.
The festival witnessed a national competition between the artistic teams who presented shows of the history, civilization, and art of their countries, characterized by spice, delight, splendor, and more than that, the spectacle of those shows taking place in Registan Square, which holds historical Islamic architectural marvels. Except that the shows and performances of the American Silk Road Dance Company dazzled the eyes and excited the hands with warm applause; they won intense admiration for their distinction in presenting dancing tableaux in gorgeous Oriental costumes and disciplined performance indicating expertise in comprehending and digesting Islamic history and art. They had us reliving the era of the Thousand and One Nights!
The secret of the attention on this dance company is that it's American, grown up on Western art and its various instruments away from Eastern art, but nevertheless by its delightful performances it has proved a match for the masters in Uzbekistan, wearing costumes ornamented in beautiful colors that express the various nationalities of the region.
By this performance the Silk Road Dance Company was able to attract the attention of the judging committee and the audience, who praised the fine rendition accompanied with Eastern melodies and ensemble dancing. They presented living tableaux interpreting glimpses of traditional culture that is still practiced among peoples at occasions and celebrations like the spring holiday, the harvest festival, wedding feasts, and the like.
Prominent among the company was the beautiful dancer Joanne [Giaquinta], whom everyone acclaimed. She was able to win praise by her outstanding performance and her Eastern looks that contributed to increasing the artistic expressiveness and mastery of her role, which flowed in sweetness and fluency. The company presented roles that some companies were unable to encompass—as though it were not an American
company performing Uzbek, Oriental, and even Egyptian shows.
It was clear that this performance by the Silk Road Dance Company is not limited to international festivals alone. They have appeared in Egypt and presented amazing Pharoanic tableaux using costumes and accessories in scenes that bring to life the legend of Pharoanic art, overflowing with beauty and magic.
The art did not repeat an improvisatory performance. This company that is famous in America and Europe has a renowned academy of Oriental art and ancient arts that have nearly fallen into oblivion. The artist studies all the tools and elements of performance theoretically and practically, and thus scores successes that exceed all expectations in Egypt and Uzbekistan, and even in the United States of America that have made her an ambassador between civilizations and cultures, and a living element that conjures up the colors and arts of Pharoanic and Islamic Oriental civilization, inside the United States and abroad.
CONVERSATION OF CULTURES
by Muhammad Salama
translated from the Arabic by J.Hy
One of the most important international cultural
activities documented by UNESCO this year, the Fifth International Oriental Music Festival, was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan last August.
Twenty-five countries participated, and Egypt won a prize.
The festival witnessed a national competition between the artistic teams who presented shows of the history, civilization, and art of their countries, characterized by spice, delight, splendor, and more than that, the spectacle of those shows taking place in Registan Square, which holds historical Islamic architectural marvels. Except that the shows and performances of the American Silk Road Dance Company dazzled the eyes and excited the hands with warm applause; they won intense admiration for their distinction in presenting dancing tableaux in gorgeous Oriental costumes and disciplined performance indicating expertise in comprehending and digesting Islamic history and art. They had us reliving the era of the Thousand and One Nights!
The secret of the attention on this dance company is that it's American, grown up on Western art and its various instruments away from Eastern art, but nevertheless by its delightful performances it has proved a match for the masters in Uzbekistan, wearing costumes ornamented in beautiful colors that express the various nationalities of the region.
By this performance the Silk Road Dance Company was able to attract the attention of the judging committee and the audience, who praised the fine rendition accompanied with Eastern melodies and ensemble dancing. They presented living tableaux interpreting glimpses of traditional culture that is still practiced among peoples at occasions and celebrations like the spring holiday, the harvest festival, wedding feasts, and the like.
Prominent among the company was the beautiful dancer Joanne [Giaquinta], whom everyone acclaimed. She was able to win praise by her outstanding performance and her Eastern looks that contributed to increasing the artistic expressiveness and mastery of her role, which flowed in sweetness and fluency. The company presented roles that some companies were unable to encompass—as though it were not an American
company performing Uzbek, Oriental, and even Egyptian shows.
It was clear that this performance by the Silk Road Dance Company is not limited to international festivals alone. They have appeared in Egypt and presented amazing Pharoanic tableaux using costumes and accessories in scenes that bring to life the legend of Pharoanic art, overflowing with beauty and magic.
The art did not repeat an improvisatory performance. This company that is famous in America and Europe has a renowned academy of Oriental art and ancient arts that have nearly fallen into oblivion. The artist studies all the tools and elements of performance theoretically and practically, and thus scores successes that exceed all expectations in Egypt and Uzbekistan, and even in the United States of America that have made her an ambassador between civilizations and cultures, and a living element that conjures up the colors and arts of Pharoanic and Islamic Oriental civilization, inside the United States and abroad.
Le Magazine De La Danse Orientale: French Canadian Magazine Article on Laurel Victoria Gray
Papyrus Magazine:
Laurel Victoria Gray: une femme qui a su aller
au bout de ses rêves.
Un portrait de Dominique Favreau
Laurel Victoria Gray: une femme qui a su aller
au bout de ses rêves.
Un portrait de Dominique Favreau
Laurel Victoria Gray on cover of Afsana Finnish Dance Magazine
June 2000
AUSTRALIA
Moccasins on the Silk Road: Dreams Bridged Cultures
by Peta Koch
Instead of stars, strips, and spangled banners, Laurel Gray dreamed of fr-off Russin when she was a child growing up in Washington state....
Persian Language Article on the Premiere of
Laurel Victoria Gray's Folkloric Ballet
Haft Paykar: Seven Beauties
Iranian Times
Friday, March 18, 2005
Page 5, Volume XXXV, Number 53
Information on the
April 2, 2005 premiere of the folkloric ballet of Laurel Victoria Gray -- Haft Paykar
"Seven Beauties" --performed by the Silk Road Dance Company.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Page 5, Volume XXXV, Number 53
Information on the
April 2, 2005 premiere of the folkloric ballet of Laurel Victoria Gray -- Haft Paykar
"Seven Beauties" --performed by the Silk Road Dance Company.
Review of Laurel Victoria Gray's Persian/Azeri Concert
Work HAFT PAYKAR
LAUREL VICTORIA GRAY'S
HAFT PAYKAR: SEVEN BEAUTIES
performed by SILK ROAD DANCE COMPANY
by Christel Stevens
The Silk Road Dance Company of metropolitan Washington, DC has been presenting increasingly ambitious programs of dances from Central Asia since 1995. In their tenth anniversary year, they have reached a pinnacle of grace, grandeur, style and technical merit in the ballet Haft
Paykar: The Seven Beauties which premiered on Saturday, April 2, 2005 at the Publick Playhouse in Cheverly, Maryland as the cornerstone of the Third Annual World Dance Showcase "Dancing in Islamic Lands”, presented by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
Eighteen months in preparation, the masterwork of choreographer and Artistic
Director Laurel Victoria Gray emerged as a symphony of colour, light, movement,
and even scent. Excited audience members gasped in awe as scene after scene unfolded, depicting the spiritual journey of a prince who gains the wisdom necessary for kingship from seven accomplished women.The text for the ballet is drawn from the 11th century epic romance of Nezami, who lived in Ganjeh (located in present day Azerbaijan) and wrote in Persian, the refined court language of the period. The seven princesses in the tale hail from seven different lands, and it is in this aspect that choreographer Gray shows her
breadth of knowledge by arranging the dance of each princess in the traditional style of the region she represents. In addition, each princess is linked to a specific heavenly body, colour, and even scent. Aficionados of India’s traditional Navarasas would be quite at home with this concept, in which emotions are related to physical properties such as colour and raga. In this case, each princess imparts an aspect of wisdom, such as honesty, patience, and courage, through her dance. In the poem, the Persian king, Bahram Gur, builds a
pavilion of a different colour for each princess, visits them on the seven days of the week in order, and dresses himself in the appropriate colour for each visit.
The performance opened with a prologue scene, in which the audience was invited to look through the eyes of the young prince Bahram Gur, who steps into a mysterious locked room and discovers portraits of seven lovely women from seven lands. As the curtain was drawn back, each princess was illuminated momentarily in a shaft of coloured light, in frozen poses, glowing behind a scrim. The princesses’ lands of origin are India, Rum (Byzance), Kharazm (a region of current Uzbekistan), Russia, Maghreb (Morocco), China, and Persia. After this tantalizing glimpse, the curtain closed again and the ballet
proper began.
The Indian Princess, associated with the colour black, the planet Saturn, and the wisdom of patience, appeared posed in a darkened pavilion against a starry night sky. The reference to Mogul miniature paintings was fascinating: a Kathak dancer in a beaded black angharkha-style costume, sparkling with gold, posed centre stage, with two handmaidens in long black velvet tunics and veils to one , and the King, played with suave aplomb by Kevin Ryan, in black sherwani and turban seated on a carpet in an archway. Then the scene came alive, the dancer performing to the song, “Chhordo, more bhaiyan” in the style
handed down from Shambhu Maharaj through Bandana Sen of Calcutta to disciple Jayantee Paine, who supervised the performance of her student Monica Ullaggadi.
The performance was delicate and reminiscent of old black-and-white films such as Jaalsagar and Pakeezah.
Then the scenes followed in a rainbow of brilliant colours and gorgeous costumes. The Princess of Rum, in the sun-lit yellow pavilion, presented a complete contrast to the sombre opening scene. A drift of lemon scent filled the auditorium. The sparkling Turkish karsilama was led by Demet Cabbar, a sprightly and energetic dancer who represented Honesty. Next, a pair of handmaidens dressed in green ikat robes appeared to present an
embroidered suzenai to the King, who was shading himself with a green parasol. Suddenly they dropped the tapestry to reveal the Kharazm Princess, performed by Cindy Connelly Ryan. This princess represents Faith, and, in a manner reminiscent of Kuchipudi dancers, performed her entire dance on a large embossed brass tray. The Kharazm dancers wear belled bracelets on their wrists and shiver them constantly to accompany their bird-like movements. The authenticity of this choreography was evident; it was taught to Silk Road Dance Company members by Qizlarhon Dustmuhamedova, People’s Artist of Uzbekistan.
Laurel V. Gray’s ability to draw together such collaborators as Paine and Dustmuhamedova has made this composition impressive in its authenticity.
The Princess of the Red Dome, linked to the planet Mars, presented a complete change of pace. Against a threatening flame-coloured backdrop, four Amazon warriors appeared with leopard skin cloaks, shining silver shields, and real swords in their hands. They danced in the style of Georgian warriors preparing for battle, in a technique observed and recorded by Gray in her visits to the Caucasus region. When their Princess, powerfully played by Joanne Giaquinta, marched onto the stage, they greeted her by clattering swords on shields and ululating in a frightening cacophony. When the King entered, he had to do
battle with this fierce princess, to learn the virtue of Passion.
With the audience on the edge of their seats after this exciting presentation, a calming influence descended as maidens veiled in aquamarine set the stage for the Princess of Maghreb, symbolizing the planet Mercury. First they escorted Bahram Gur, robed in royal blue, to a carpet arranged at centre stage, and presented him with a blue hand-drum like the ones they carried. As the three of them struck the drums softly, the Princess, portrayed by Annetta Burger, and four accompanying dancers circled the stage dreamily in a Sufi
ritual dance. The meditative scene culminated with the King in the centre, spinning with his drum, while the women circled him with airy scarves of blue, raising the audience to the heights of spiritual love. This was the most recognizably Islamic of all the scenes, with the women tastefully veiled, wearing Moorish caftans and turbans, the blue pavilion reminding one of blue-domed mosques, and the final musical recitation of the Shahada, the
Muslim declaration of faith. As such, it was performed with suitable reverenceand was well-received by the diverse audience.
From Morocco the scene shifted to the other extreme of the Silk Road, with the Princess of the Sandal Dome performed by Cynthia Lin, in a costume modelled on Buddhist paintings of flying celestial apsaras. As she assumed various sculptural poses, a maiden garbed in pale golden silk swept across the stage spreading delicate sandalwood perfume with a carved fan. Then the Princess was joined by four dancers in brown velvet and golden skirts, who performed a traditional Chinese style ribbon dance, swirling long bronze-gold streamers. The audience interrupted the dance several times with enthusiastic rounds of
applause.
Now it was time for the seventh scene, and anticipation ran high. First, a solo dancer, Sarah Solomon, in a pure white gown with golden vest, draped with pearls and white and gold veil, floated across the stage with a length of fluttering white silk trailing from her up stretched hands. As she circled and spun, the silk formed a white cloud around her, leaving the viewer with no doubt as to the prevailing colour of the final scene. Then the curtains covering the central set-piece were opened, revealing the slim, graceful figure of Parastoo
Ghodsi as the Princess of Persia, representing the planet Venus, to impart the virtue of Devotion. After an enchanting dance with her handmaidens, this Princess led off the finale, a glorious white and gold wedding celebration. The King entered through the audience, accompanied by attendants bearing glowing candles. The scent of roses filled the air. As they slowly paced down the aisle, the other six princesses re-entered the stage wearing alabaster-white wedding garments and crowns, each in the style of the country she represented. The stage became a glittering sea of white, gold, and silver as the entire cast formed a wheel around the Princess of Persia and King Bahram Gur. As the music swelled,
pink rose petals cascaded on the spectacular couple, as they turned hand-in-hand
and bowed regally to the ovation of the packed auditorium.
Laurel Victoria Gray is to be commended for her spectacular concept, and the members of her company for bringing a poetic fantasy to life. The imposing set pieces, designed and executed by Evgenia Luzhina-Salazar, and the intricate lighting design by Publick Playhouse Technical Director Cheryl Lee, worked together in perfect harmony to suggest the architecture of miniature paintings and the signature colour spectrum so essential to the vision of Nezami. Although other dance companies may have attempted this ballet in the past, the Silk Road Dance Company’s production must be counted as the most faithful rendition of the literary classic Haft Paykar.
HAFT PAYKAR: SEVEN BEAUTIES
performed by SILK ROAD DANCE COMPANY
by Christel Stevens
The Silk Road Dance Company of metropolitan Washington, DC has been presenting increasingly ambitious programs of dances from Central Asia since 1995. In their tenth anniversary year, they have reached a pinnacle of grace, grandeur, style and technical merit in the ballet Haft
Paykar: The Seven Beauties which premiered on Saturday, April 2, 2005 at the Publick Playhouse in Cheverly, Maryland as the cornerstone of the Third Annual World Dance Showcase "Dancing in Islamic Lands”, presented by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
Eighteen months in preparation, the masterwork of choreographer and Artistic
Director Laurel Victoria Gray emerged as a symphony of colour, light, movement,
and even scent. Excited audience members gasped in awe as scene after scene unfolded, depicting the spiritual journey of a prince who gains the wisdom necessary for kingship from seven accomplished women.The text for the ballet is drawn from the 11th century epic romance of Nezami, who lived in Ganjeh (located in present day Azerbaijan) and wrote in Persian, the refined court language of the period. The seven princesses in the tale hail from seven different lands, and it is in this aspect that choreographer Gray shows her
breadth of knowledge by arranging the dance of each princess in the traditional style of the region she represents. In addition, each princess is linked to a specific heavenly body, colour, and even scent. Aficionados of India’s traditional Navarasas would be quite at home with this concept, in which emotions are related to physical properties such as colour and raga. In this case, each princess imparts an aspect of wisdom, such as honesty, patience, and courage, through her dance. In the poem, the Persian king, Bahram Gur, builds a
pavilion of a different colour for each princess, visits them on the seven days of the week in order, and dresses himself in the appropriate colour for each visit.
The performance opened with a prologue scene, in which the audience was invited to look through the eyes of the young prince Bahram Gur, who steps into a mysterious locked room and discovers portraits of seven lovely women from seven lands. As the curtain was drawn back, each princess was illuminated momentarily in a shaft of coloured light, in frozen poses, glowing behind a scrim. The princesses’ lands of origin are India, Rum (Byzance), Kharazm (a region of current Uzbekistan), Russia, Maghreb (Morocco), China, and Persia. After this tantalizing glimpse, the curtain closed again and the ballet
proper began.
The Indian Princess, associated with the colour black, the planet Saturn, and the wisdom of patience, appeared posed in a darkened pavilion against a starry night sky. The reference to Mogul miniature paintings was fascinating: a Kathak dancer in a beaded black angharkha-style costume, sparkling with gold, posed centre stage, with two handmaidens in long black velvet tunics and veils to one , and the King, played with suave aplomb by Kevin Ryan, in black sherwani and turban seated on a carpet in an archway. Then the scene came alive, the dancer performing to the song, “Chhordo, more bhaiyan” in the style
handed down from Shambhu Maharaj through Bandana Sen of Calcutta to disciple Jayantee Paine, who supervised the performance of her student Monica Ullaggadi.
The performance was delicate and reminiscent of old black-and-white films such as Jaalsagar and Pakeezah.
Then the scenes followed in a rainbow of brilliant colours and gorgeous costumes. The Princess of Rum, in the sun-lit yellow pavilion, presented a complete contrast to the sombre opening scene. A drift of lemon scent filled the auditorium. The sparkling Turkish karsilama was led by Demet Cabbar, a sprightly and energetic dancer who represented Honesty. Next, a pair of handmaidens dressed in green ikat robes appeared to present an
embroidered suzenai to the King, who was shading himself with a green parasol. Suddenly they dropped the tapestry to reveal the Kharazm Princess, performed by Cindy Connelly Ryan. This princess represents Faith, and, in a manner reminiscent of Kuchipudi dancers, performed her entire dance on a large embossed brass tray. The Kharazm dancers wear belled bracelets on their wrists and shiver them constantly to accompany their bird-like movements. The authenticity of this choreography was evident; it was taught to Silk Road Dance Company members by Qizlarhon Dustmuhamedova, People’s Artist of Uzbekistan.
Laurel V. Gray’s ability to draw together such collaborators as Paine and Dustmuhamedova has made this composition impressive in its authenticity.
The Princess of the Red Dome, linked to the planet Mars, presented a complete change of pace. Against a threatening flame-coloured backdrop, four Amazon warriors appeared with leopard skin cloaks, shining silver shields, and real swords in their hands. They danced in the style of Georgian warriors preparing for battle, in a technique observed and recorded by Gray in her visits to the Caucasus region. When their Princess, powerfully played by Joanne Giaquinta, marched onto the stage, they greeted her by clattering swords on shields and ululating in a frightening cacophony. When the King entered, he had to do
battle with this fierce princess, to learn the virtue of Passion.
With the audience on the edge of their seats after this exciting presentation, a calming influence descended as maidens veiled in aquamarine set the stage for the Princess of Maghreb, symbolizing the planet Mercury. First they escorted Bahram Gur, robed in royal blue, to a carpet arranged at centre stage, and presented him with a blue hand-drum like the ones they carried. As the three of them struck the drums softly, the Princess, portrayed by Annetta Burger, and four accompanying dancers circled the stage dreamily in a Sufi
ritual dance. The meditative scene culminated with the King in the centre, spinning with his drum, while the women circled him with airy scarves of blue, raising the audience to the heights of spiritual love. This was the most recognizably Islamic of all the scenes, with the women tastefully veiled, wearing Moorish caftans and turbans, the blue pavilion reminding one of blue-domed mosques, and the final musical recitation of the Shahada, the
Muslim declaration of faith. As such, it was performed with suitable reverenceand was well-received by the diverse audience.
From Morocco the scene shifted to the other extreme of the Silk Road, with the Princess of the Sandal Dome performed by Cynthia Lin, in a costume modelled on Buddhist paintings of flying celestial apsaras. As she assumed various sculptural poses, a maiden garbed in pale golden silk swept across the stage spreading delicate sandalwood perfume with a carved fan. Then the Princess was joined by four dancers in brown velvet and golden skirts, who performed a traditional Chinese style ribbon dance, swirling long bronze-gold streamers. The audience interrupted the dance several times with enthusiastic rounds of
applause.
Now it was time for the seventh scene, and anticipation ran high. First, a solo dancer, Sarah Solomon, in a pure white gown with golden vest, draped with pearls and white and gold veil, floated across the stage with a length of fluttering white silk trailing from her up stretched hands. As she circled and spun, the silk formed a white cloud around her, leaving the viewer with no doubt as to the prevailing colour of the final scene. Then the curtains covering the central set-piece were opened, revealing the slim, graceful figure of Parastoo
Ghodsi as the Princess of Persia, representing the planet Venus, to impart the virtue of Devotion. After an enchanting dance with her handmaidens, this Princess led off the finale, a glorious white and gold wedding celebration. The King entered through the audience, accompanied by attendants bearing glowing candles. The scent of roses filled the air. As they slowly paced down the aisle, the other six princesses re-entered the stage wearing alabaster-white wedding garments and crowns, each in the style of the country she represented. The stage became a glittering sea of white, gold, and silver as the entire cast formed a wheel around the Princess of Persia and King Bahram Gur. As the music swelled,
pink rose petals cascaded on the spectacular couple, as they turned hand-in-hand
and bowed regally to the ovation of the packed auditorium.
Laurel Victoria Gray is to be commended for her spectacular concept, and the members of her company for bringing a poetic fantasy to life. The imposing set pieces, designed and executed by Evgenia Luzhina-Salazar, and the intricate lighting design by Publick Playhouse Technical Director Cheryl Lee, worked together in perfect harmony to suggest the architecture of miniature paintings and the signature colour spectrum so essential to the vision of Nezami. Although other dance companies may have attempted this ballet in the past, the Silk Road Dance Company’s production must be counted as the most faithful rendition of the literary classic Haft Paykar.
"I Devote My Dance to Peace"
Pravda Vostoka Article from 1984 on Uzbek Dance
and Laurel Victoria Gray's Seattle-based ensemble, Tanavar.
.
Bollywood Dance Interview with Laurel Victoria Gray for
Japanese Website
by Noriko Miyagawa
Bollywood Dance in the Washington DC area was the topic of an interview with Laurel Victoria Gray for the Japanese website
Laurel explained ''for women, Bollywood dance satisfies the hunger for revealing their feminine side. It is nice to create a sort of virtual village society when we dance together.''
See full article in Japanese:
http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/lc/world/090408_washington/
Laurel explained ''for women, Bollywood dance satisfies the hunger for revealing their feminine side. It is nice to create a sort of virtual village society when we dance together.''
See full article in Japanese:
http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/lc/world/090408_washington/
Article about Laurel Victoria Gray
in Uzbek Newspaper "Xalk Suzi" September 1, 1992
