HISTORICAL ROOTS OF THE DANCE ART OF THE POPULATION OF SURKHAN OASIS
Author: Muratova Sabakhat Choriyevna, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences (PhD) Methodology
of Preschool Education at Tashkent University of Applied Sciences.
1
University of Tashkent for Applied Sciences, Gavhar Str. 1, Tashkent 100149, Uzbekistan
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10462848
Keywords:
dance, art, history, style, music, melody, song, creativity..
Abstract:
In this article, the history of Surkhan oasis dance, which is a part of Uzbek national dance art, and local
aspects related to it are expressed.
1.
INTRODUCTION.
Dance is considered as an art form, the movements
and compositions which are performed through
emotional impressions based on changes in the
working process and everyday life of mankind, and
which consist of a certain rhythm and tempo. Of
course, each nation has its own dance art, dance
traditions, performance style and visual means, which
are performed to the accompaniment of melody and
music.
Dance as a component of folk ceremonies and
celebrations was formed under the influence of
historical, social and geographical conditions.
According to its character, folk dances reflect some
aspects of people’s life.
In addition, dance is inextricably linked with music
and it reveals the content of music with the
participation of certain movements. Dances are
performed individually and in groups. The dance art of
Surkhan oasis residents goes back to very ancient
times. The first information about the dance art of the
inhabitants of Surkhan oasis can be found through the
pictures of Zarautsoy in Sherabad district. These
pictures are painted during the Mesolithic period and
they depict the actions of primitive people in the
process of hunting with red ocher (color) on the stone.
In these images, along with hunting, primitive people
can also be seen dancing in groups through various
gestures[1]. Therefore, we have enough scientific
grounds in order to say that the history of the dance art
of the people of Surkhan oasis is connected with the
Mesolithic period.
Literature analysis and methodology studying the
history of the dance art of the inhabitants of the
Surkhan oasis is primarily related to the ethnography
of the oasis. For this reason, in the coverage of the
theme of the dance art of the oasis as a part of social
and household life, books “History and culture of
Uzbekistan: Ethnography of Surkhondaryo” [2],
“Surkhondaryo is an ethnographic space” [3],
“Ceremonial folklore of the Uzbek people” [4], “The
history of intangible culture of the inhabitants of the
Surkhan oasis” [5], “History of the formation and
development of the art of narratory in Uzbekistan” [6],
“The ethnography of the Harduris” [7], “Surkhan
dance schools” [8] and “Surkhandarya folk seasonal
dances” [9] were used, on this basis we tried to reveal
the content of the topic.
During the process of preparing the article, we used
comparative-analytical,
observational,
analytical
classification and reprospective methods.
2.
DISCUSSION
The Surkhan oasis, located in the south of Uzbekistan,
has been considered one of the cradles of mankind
since the ancient times. The extreme nationalism of the
dance art of the Surkhan oasis, as well as the fact that
the above-mentioned direction was accepted by the
local leaders in the Soviet ideology as an antiquated
style due to the uniqueness of the folk art only,
contributed to the development of the Surkhandarya
dance style, preserving its various seasonal,
ceremonial, customs and traditions, interfered with the
construction and had a negative impact on its
development.
Dances of the Surkhan oasis came to the attention
of the art community only after the “Shalola”
ensemble from Boysun mountain district participated
in the 8th World Mountain Folklore Festival in
Zakopane city in Poland Republic, and won the “Silver
Ax” award in 1975. After that and nowadays, Surkhan
dance movements are expressed in the movements of
many folk groups in our Republic and dancers who
dance to songs performed in the Surkhandarya -
Kashkadarya singing style. The art of dance lives with
its creative performers. Old people who were expert
performers of ancient dances of Surkhan oasis have
passed away. However, Surkhan dances did not
disappear completely. The style of the Surkhan dance
school and the dances belonging to the school and the
depiction of the various movements in the dances
require more scientific research. In writing this short
thesis, we mainly used the materials, which were
collected in the “Boysun” folklore ethnographic
ensemble at the Central House of Culture of the
Boysun district. At this point, we found it permissible
to give an information about the costumes of dancers
and their unique national features.
Uzbek women’s everyday and holiday dresses are
very diverse and colorful. Each region of our republic
has its own costumes that have been created over the
centuries in accordance with nature, climate and living
conditions. Surkhandarya region is not exception.
Women of Surkhandarya usually choose brightly
colored, large patterned fabrics for their dresses.
Dresses for young girls are in a narrow fit, for women
they are in a loose fit, other made-up garments, blouses
and vests worn over dresses, tops, various footwear,
headscarves, jewelry are considered to be the
important part of women’s dresses in Surkhandarya.
The clothes worn by women in everyday life are made
of olacha, janda, khadi fabrics woven by local
weavers. The clothes worn by women on holidays and
ceremonies are made of semi-silk fabrics: vanoras,
abrishim, silk, satin and khan satin. Usually red, light
green, blue, light yellow fabrics are chosen for
women’s dresses and trousers.
Two or one-way decoration is sewn from the collar
to the hem of the shirt. In addition, the hem of the shirt
has a one – inch - wide patterned decoration.
A similar decoration is sewn on the hem of the shirt.
Women’s trouser is a bit narrow, and a chiroz
(decoration to be placed on the base) sewn on a belt or
a needle is placed on the trouser’s hem. Just above the
chiroz, a one or a half inch wide ornament is sewn.
Girls’ trousers are cut narrower. Over the shirt, they
usually wore the short vests. The collars, hems and
hems of vests are decorated with beautiful patterns.
Women used different colored cotton shawls in their
daily life. On holidays and ceremonies, the shawls are
usually woven from silk, for instance, charsi, doka,
farangi, gijim, flower shawl, large shawl, and silk
shawls. Among the headdresses, the “beaded cap”
decorated with beads and decorated with a headdress,
and the “velvet cap” made of plain velvet are common.
“Pota” is also a headdress of women of Kungirat who
belong to the nomadic clan of Uzbeks living in
Surkhandarya region and it is made by tying different
colors of yarn.
In everyday life, women used shoes made of leather
called “popish” and “bachki takhsi”. During holiday
and ceremonies, silk shawls made from chorsi, doka,
farangi, gijim, floral scarf, big scarf, silk scarf are
usually worn by women. From the headdresses, the
hats are decorated with beads and the “beaded
skullcap” with ornate chiroz, and the “velvet skullcap”
made of plain velvet are commonly worn. Shoes,
which are called “Kovush”, “Amirkon Kovush”,
“Gharch Kovush”, “Amirkon Makshi” were widely
used on holidays and ceremonies.
Various rituals and traditional holidays of folklore
are colorful, marking the seasons of the year. This
process cannot be imagined without meaningful songs
and dances. As we mentioned above, it is true to
associate the period of origin of dances with hunting,
which occurred during the Eneolithic (new stone)
period, followed by livestock-breeding and farming.
The works performed by human hands and activities
since ancient times are directly related to the organic
cycle of the seasons. As a result, people invented
various rituals, customs, traditions and even seasonal
events. All of them are based on work and, of course,
playful dance movements. As a result, complementary
seasonal dances emerged. In the course of this study,
we came across the concept of ritual directly. Because,
the seasonal dances that are the subject of our research
are actually widely performed in seasonal ceremonies.
For this reason, in the study of seasonal dances, it was
necessary to refer to them as seasonal ritual dances in
some cases. For example, in connection with the
arrival of spring, dance movements such as “The sun
came out”, “Stork”, “Snowdrop”, “Swallow”, “Eagle”
were performed. National musics, such as “Sumalak”
and “Gulyor” are performed with seasonal dances.
These beautiful and great celebrations were created
on the basis of the polytheistic concepts of our most
ancient ancestors, including beliefs about the
Universe, the Sun, and the Earth. For or five thousand
years ago, our ancestors considered the Sun to be the
greatest power, the source of life, the source of light
and heat, as a result of this belief, special ceremonies
were organized for the sake of them.
Boysun’s “Mavrigi” tune also has a power that
restrains unruly emotions. When the melody is played
in rhythm, the second circle beat is accented in the
count. In the first count, the look of the dance is really
calm and soft, while in the second count, it is more
direct. In general, all parts of the dance “Boysun
Mavrigi” are performed in two counts against each
other. It is clear that the song “Boysun Mavrigi” has
been preserved since ancient times. This can be
understood from the exact fact that this dance was
performed in ancient rituals and that there is an clear
interpretation of the connection of man with divine
forces in heaven and the Earth, based on the
movements, gestures in the movements, the dancer’s
keeping a serious facial expression during the
performance. In ancient times, every single movement
and every gesture expressed concepts that could be
understood by the audience without words. The role of
movement and gesture was very actively involved in
the expression of thought. “Mavrigi”, a masterpiece of
ancient dance art, is performed as a widely shown
dance and it is still being performed at weddings and
festivals in the city of Boysun. The dance lasts 25-30
minutes, the musicians play the tune repeatedly and
the dances alternate one by one.
3 RESULT
In order to study dances of Surkhandarya region, it is
necessary to organize folklore expeditions on a large
scale throughout the Oasis;
- it is necessary to study the scientific literature and
manuscripts created to date on the topic and publish
scientific articles and sources based on the results;
- it is necessary to study and analyze the repertoire of
folklore
ethnographic
groups
existing
in
Surkhandarya;
- it is important to conduct the conversations with
Surkhan connoisseurs and representatives of the older
generation who know national games and dances,
publishing scientific articles about the results in the
course of the expedition organized in Surkhandarya;
- it is desirable to process the collected materials, to
describe in writing the description of the specific
choreographic movements of the seasonal dances, to
analyze, classify and to clarify the basics of the
Surkhan school based on the results.
4 SUMMARY
The rich and colorful folklore heritage of the people
of Uzbekistan is closely related to the diversity of its
ethnic composition and the fact that the path of
historical development passed between two rivers in
Central Asia, one of the centers of world civilization.
Because the area between Amudarya and Syrdarya
served as an important crossroad in the great
migrations of people and the rise and development of
various political, cultural and economic relations since
ancient times. In this regard, it is enough to remember
that the Great Silk Road almost completely crossed
this area. On the other hand, it is natural that economic,
political and cultural development took place
wherever the trade routes passed.
The important place in the history and development
of ethnic groups and states that appeared in the region
of Central Asia, including between two rivers, is
determined by the fact that this region is located in
favorable conditions in all respects. The Uzbek people
are made up of three major ethnic groups: the Karluk,
Kipchak and Oghuz tribes. As a result of their union,
the nucleus of today’s Uzbek people appeared. It is
known that the three-tribe associations play an
important role in the formation of Turkic peoples in
other regions as well. The same processes are clearly
visible in folk oral poetic creation. In particular,
folklore, folk music, folk theater (performance art),
folk games (dance), folk fine and practical decorative
arts, folk architecture and similar types of creative
works of traditional material and non-material culture
related to the artistic and creative practical activities of
the people are more obvious situations. For this reason,
the Uzbek people have close ties with other Turkic
brothers and neighbors living next to each other. They
have a lot in common. The Uzbek ethnos literally
created a rich cultural heritage.
List of used sources and literature
1.
Kholmirzaev A. Zarautsai spells. - Tashkent:
“Me’ros” publishing house, 1999, page 6.
2.
Tursunov S, Pardaev T, Kurbanov A,
Tursunov N. “History and culture of
Uzbekistan - ethnography of Surkhandarya”.
- Tashkent: Publishing House of the National
Library of Uzbekistan named after Alisher
Navoi, 2006.
3.
Tursunov S., Pardaev T. Surkhandarya
ethnographic space. - Tashkent: “Tafakkur”
publishing house, 2012, page 116.
4.
Sarimsokov B. Ceremonial folklore of the
Uzbek people. - Tashkent: “Fan”, 1986, page
27.
5.
Tursunov S, Pardaev T, Intangible culture of
the population of the southern regions of
Uzbekistan. - Tashkent.: “Akademnashr”,
2007, page 43.
6.
Tursunov S. Pardaev T. The history of the
formation and development of the art of
giving in Uzbekistan. - Tashkent: “Tafakkur”
publishing house, 2015, page 243.
7.
Norboev G’. Ethnography of the Harduris.
Tashkent: “Yangi Nashr”, 2015, page 86.
8.
Kurbanova Sh, Khursandov Kh, Surkhan
dance school.
9.
Usanova Sh. Surkhandarya folk seasonal
dances. Graduation thesis. - Tashkent, 2013,
page 25-28.
