Silk Road Dance CO Inc

Official X account of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States www.silkroaddance.com Founded in 1995 by Dr. Laurel Gray, we are a professional ensemble in Washington, D.C. Uzbek, Persian, Tajik, Afghan, Azeri, Kazakh, Turkic, Turkmen, Uyghur, Bollywood, Arabic, Romani "Gypsy", Ancient Egyptian dances & more! "CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING THROUGH BEAUTY AND DELIGHT"Silk Road Dance Company (SRDC), initiated in 1995 by Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray, is dedicated to the preservation, promulgation, and evolution of women's endangered dance forms, traditions, and costumes from cultures along the Great Silk Road trade route linking China with the Mediterranean. Through concerts, lecture-demonstrations, and master classes, Silk Road Dance Company promotes knowledge and appreciation of traditional dance forms of Eastern cultures by educating, entertaining, and engaging the general public. SRDC builds bridges of understanding between East and West by nourishing traditional dance forms, encouraging cross-cultural dialogue, and collaborating with other World Dance artists. Activities of the Organization: Silk Road Dance Company is dedicated to the preservation, promulgation, and evolution of women's endangered dance forms, traditions, and costumes from cultures along the Great Silk Road trade route linking China with the Mediterranean. Through concerts, lecture-demonstrations, and master classes, Silk Road Dance Company promotes knowledge and appreciation of traditional dance forms of Eastern cultures by educating, entertaining, and engaging the general public. SRDC builds bridges of understanding between East and West by nourishing traditional dance forms, encouraging cross-cultural dialogue, and collaborating with other World Dance artists. These educational activities protect, preserve, promote, and teach others about different national, ethnic, and social dance traditions from geographic regions known as the Silk Road – the Middle East, Central Asia, China, India, and the Caucasus. As a result of these traditions being learned, experienced and understood, these cultural heritages can be preserved. Charitable Preservation of Cultural Activities:Specifically, in order to protect dance traditions and further enrich the art of dance through continued development of new choreographies using the traditional movement vocabularies, SRDC offers the following services:1. Public performances of dances from countries along the historical Silk Road. 2. Lectures and workshops on the techniques and cultural aspects of different dance traditions. 3. Publicizing and developing an educational curriculum; and 4. Creating connections between SRDC and its performers, and groups in the general public interested in understanding and preserving these artistic customs. Educational Efforts with Students:SRDC teaches interested groups about these cultural dance and costume traditions. And individuals must audition to be accepted into the ensemble -- professional dance standards SRDC performs and lectures at colleges and grade schools. SRDC also offers dance workshops for:1. Training in the techniques and performance skills of different dance traditions;2. Training in the creation of authentic costumes related to the heritage of different cultures; and,3. Teaching about the different movement vocabulary related to the different cultural traditions and dances. C. Educational Efforts for the General Public.An important aspect of SRDC’s mission is to display and document the performing arts of different countries and cultures. It does so by performing at public and private events, Some events are recorded, for example SRDC performances on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage are available free online at the Kennedy Center website. SRDC also had many dances posted on YouTube.com. By recording these cultural traditions, SRDC is contributing to the preservation of varied cultural customs and costumes. Another important aspect of SRDC’s work is the development and dissemination of educational programs. For example the Artistic Director lectures to provide historical context for the dance forms, then the company dancers perform examples of choreographies that were the subject of the lecture.