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Biography
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AWARDS AND HONORS
RECENT AWARDS AND HONORS
2009 Fulbright Association Selma Jeanne
Cohen Lecture in International
Dance Scholarship
2008 Finalist, Metro DC Dance Awards
''Excellence in Costume Design''
2007 Honorary Professor
Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan
Institute of Arts
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2006 Metro DC Dance Awards
''Excellence in Costume Design''
2005 Embassy of Uzbekistan
''Distinguished Service Award,
for strengthening
US – Uzbek Cultural Ties''
2005 Finalist, Metro DC Dance Awards
“Best Overall Dance Production”
“Excellence in Costume Design”
2004 Finalist, Metro DC Dance Awards
“Excellence in Costume Design”
2003 IAMED International Academy of
Middle Eastern Dance
''Best Choreographer Award''
''Best Dance Company Award''
2003 Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts
''Local Dance Commission Project Award''
2003 UNHCR United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees
''Certificate of Appreciation,
World Refugee Day''
2003 U.S. Department of Justice,
U.S. Attorney’s Office,
District of Columbia
''Certificate of Appreciation''
National Women's
History Month Program''
2002 International Society of Scholars,
Washington, DC
''Certificate of Honor
in the Field of the Perfo
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BIOGRAPHY "The Dancing Diplomat: Laurel Victoria Gray, a Traveler on the Silk Road"
by Anne Karaline Apynys, Ph.D.
This detailed biography by Dr. Apynys was the September 2000 Habibi Magazine cover story on Laurel Victoria Gray
Laurel Victoria Gray is the recipient of the Kennedy Centers 2003 Local Dance Commissioning Project Award and the International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance (IAMED) Awards for Best Choregrapher (2003) and Best Ethnic Dancer (1999). She is the Artistic Director of both the Silk Road Dance Company -- winner of the IAMED award for Best Dance Company (2003) and Joy of Motion Company-in-Residence. She is a finalist for the 2004 Metro DC Dance Award for "Excellence in Costume Design."
An internationally acclaimed dancer, scholar, instructor, and choreographer, Ms. Gray’s research has taken her to five continents. She has inspired thousands of students, both amateur and professional, giving workshops and concerts throughout Europe, Central Asia, Australia, the United States and Canada. Although her early dance training included ballet, tap, folk and modern dance, she first discovered Middle Eastern folk music and dance in high school. In 1975, she began formal lessons in Arabic dance. She continued lessons in various Middle Eastern dance forms along with her academic studies. Her teachers include leading experts such as Qizlarhon Dustmuhamedova, Viktoria Akilova, Galia Ismailova, Tamara Khanum, Kadir Muminov, Mahmoud Reda, Ahmed Jarjour, Ercument Kilic, Shamiran Urshan, Madame Nellie Mazloum, Nadia Hamdi and others.
Wh
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Choreographies for Silk Road Dance Company by Laurel Victoria Gray
LaurelVictoria Gray has created over 60 choreographies for the Silk Road Dance Company in a variety of styles.
GEORGIAN:
Narnari
Amazonka
Samaya
PERSIAN:
Spring Rain in the Rose Garden
Persian Miniature
Banadari
Ghassemabadi
Azzizam
Raqs-e-Pari
Chesh Cheshm
Khoda Khoda Ya Mastoun
Roxanne:Beloved of Alexander
Dokhtar-e-Khorasan
Persian Princess of the White Dome
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN:
Prophecy of Thoth
Gift of the Nile
Snake Goddess Renenutet
On the Land
Nuit and the Dance of the Cosmos
Pyramids
Wrath of Sekhmet
Seven Hathors
Royal Linen
Banquet Dance
Death of Egypt
Invasion of the Foreigners
EGYPTIAN FOLKLORE:
Raqs as-Assaya
Al Ward Al Foll
Shukalata
MODERN EGYPTIAN:
Tabla Solo with Sagat
Aweedouni
Lamma Bada
Telefon Zoghayar
DANCES OF THE ROMA (''Gypsy'') PEOPLE:
Memories of Macedonia
Turkish Karshilama
Ghawazee Suite
Tsiganka (Russian Roma ''Gypsy'')
FUSION/OTHER:
Cry of the Heart
Desert Rose
Ojos Osi (Spanish Arabic)
Vampyre Tango
Esther’s Choice
Magrebi Princess of the Blue Dome
Chinese Ribbon Dance
AZERBAIJANI:
Dancer of Shamakha
Ala Goz
Sari Gelin
Azerbaijani veil dance
Solo with Drum
Nalbeki (with Mujgan Ergal)
CENTRAL ASIAN (Uzbek, Tajik, and more)
Everyone Has a Beloved
Tulips of Badakhshan
Darya Toshkin
Urumchi
Timurid
Written in the Stars
Shamanka (Shamaness)
Bukharan Wedding ''Sozanda''(with Travis Jarrell)
BOLLYWOOD and INDIAN:
Mahi Ve
Ghanaan Ghannan
Suno Re
Hum Aur Tum
A
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Guest Artists and Collaborators for Silk Road Dance Company
Since the inception of the Silk Road Dance Company in 1995, the ensemble has been honored to work with established dance artists and musicians.
TAYYAR AKDENIZ
Turkish Dance Specialist
Turkish Black Sea Dance seminar
QIZLARHON DUSTMUKHAMEDOVA annually
People's Artist of Uzbekistan
Annual Residency in Central Asian Dance
LEILI TAJADOD
Persian Dance Specialist
LING TANG 2008
Chinese Dance Specialist
MUJGAN ERGAL 2007
Caucasus/Turkic Dance Specialist
Crimean Tatar Chiftetelli
North Caucasus Women's Dance
KADIR MUMINOV 2004
People's Artist of Uzbekistan
Residency in Uzbek dance tecnique
'Surkhan Darya' choreography
MOMO KADOUS 2003
Egyptian choreographer
'Arabesque' Raqs Sharqi choreography
DANIEL BERNARD ROUMAIN 2003
Haitian-American violinist and composer
Improvisational music and dance session
AMEL TAFSOUT 2004
North African dance specialist
Andalusian Court Dance Seminar
ASHA VATTAKUTTI 2006
Kathak Choreographer
'Gul-i-Bakkawali' Kennedy Center production
NEJLA YATKIN
Award-winning dancer/ choreographer
Modern dance technique class
YUSIF QASIMOV 2006
People's Artist of Azerbaijan
Azeri Yally
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REVIEW "Egypta: A revivification of Ancient Sacred Dance"
Expanding upon core choreographies created in 1995, "Egypta: Myth, Magic, and Mystery" was further developed as a result of the 2003 Kennedy Center Local Dance Commissioning Project Award to Laurel Victoria Gray. This article reviews the September 14, 2003 world premiere of the expanded concert piece at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
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REVIEWS: "Egypta" in the Washington Post
The Washington Post review of the June 26, 2004 performance of Egypta: Myth, Magic and Mystery at Dance Place.
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REVIEWS: "Egypta" Reviewed By Washington Post
Quote: Ancient Egypt came alive Saturday night at Dance Place with the Silk Road Dance Company performing Laurel Victoria Grays evening-length "Egypta: Myth, Magic & Mystery." With the passion of an educator and avid storyteller, Gray, along with her 23-member troupe, proceeded to unfold the myths and history of the ancient world.
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REVIEWS: Remembering the Legends
Premiering at the Kennedy Center on November 10,2001, Remembering the Legends: Women of the Silk Road depicts 3,000 years of women as healers, warriors, lovers, artists and leaders.
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Silk Road Dance Company at Kennedy Center, Again!
September 14 and 15, 2006
GUL-E-BAKAWALI
LOCAL DANCE COMMISSIONING PROJECT
This production was conceived by Asha Vattikuti who specializes in Kathak-a classical dance style of Northern India.
Gul-e-Bakawali tells the story of Prince Taj-Ul-Muluk and the fairy Princess Bakawali.
As guest artists, Silk Road Dance Company
perfroms the role of the Pari, magical fairy like creatures. Laurel Victoria Gray created the choreography and costumes for the group Persian and Egyptian folklore dances presented by Silk Road Dance Company.Asha Vattikuti
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