The Dance Art of the Kyrgyz. The History of Kyrgyz Folk Dance. Part 2

Kyrgyz Folk Dance Art

We have already mentioned the games and entertainments that became the foundation for the creation of folk-stage Kyrgyz dances. Popular in Kyrgyz ails were "Kyz-oyun" — girls' games. They were organized on the occasion of engagements and weddings. These took place in the bride's ail, but friends of the groom could also participate. The participants of the girls' game "Tokmok" were required not only to be agile in their movements but also to have vocal abilities. "Tokmok" is a whip made from a towel. The girl swings it in front of the young man and then playfully strikes him on the back. The young man responds to the challenge with a song. During the game, the whip alternates between the girl and the young man. The girl hides the whip, and the young man must find it.

Participants in another game — "Zhurkan salmay" ("Put down the blanket") — spread a blanket on the floor. The young man and the girl, standing on opposite sides, must reach each other and kiss without touching the blanket, not even with the hem of their robes.

In the game "Shakek tishtemey" ("Bite the ring"), participants are required to have special circus-like agility to pick up a ring from the ground without using their hands.

Folk games such as "Jooluk tashtamay" ("Throwing a scarf"), "Dumpyldek" ("Game of Wolves and Sheep"), "Zhashynmak" ("Hide and Seek"), "Kyz kuumay" ("Catch the Girl"), elements of the game "At-Chabysh," tug-of-war — "Arkan tartysh," competitions of daring horsemen, and ancient spear fights became the foundation upon which elaborate dance compositions arose.

In the dance "Selkinchek" ("Swing"), the plastic motif of swinging and flying found its artistic solution with each choreographer. In one of the first one-act ballets, there were giant swings on stage. The dzhigits and girls — all those who wished for "the sky to become the earth! For the palm to become warm!" — twirled in circles and dances, joyfully swaying.

It should be emphasized that the folk dance art of the Kyrgyz was closely connected with the mastery of classical dance. The dances and choreographic compositions realized in the first performances of the Kyrgyz Musical Theater became a kind of standard for amateur groups and individual performers.

In the first musical dramas of the Kyrgyz Theater "Altyn kyzy" ("Golden Girl") by V. Vlasov and V. Fere, "Ajal orduna" ("Not Death, but Life"), and the first opera "Aichurek" ("Moon Beauty") by V. Vlasov, A. Maldybaev, and V. Fere, there were many dance scenes and folk dances based on folk games. In the opera "Aichurek," there were dances and games of dzhigits and girls: a mass dance "Zhash kerbez," a round dance of girls "Zhomok biy," a male warrior dance "Alaman," which revives the rhythm and character of folk games, and a female dance "Elechki."

Regarding the performers of the dance "Kyzdardyn kyialy," presented during the final concert of the 1st decade of Kyrgyz art in 1939, the newspaper "Pravda" wrote: "In the circle of girls in high, shimmering silver and gold headdresses, two dancers move slowly to the music of the kyak. Their hands, thin and flexible, seem to draw the melody of the dance in the air, sometimes rising high above their heads, sometimes approaching their faces. In ancient miniatures, adorned with gold and cinnabar, in reflections of green and blue, we saw such girls. But those were fairy peri, and here before us suddenly came to life an ancient fairy tale born at the foot of the Tien Shan mountains."

Folk plastic motifs and elements of classical dance in the opera "Aichurek" were organically interconnected. For example, the magical transformation of the girl Aichurek into a swan, her farewell to her friends occurred during an elaborate dance scene based on classical dance.

In the performance "Altyn kyzy," cheerful youth dances and games occupied a central place. Among them was the already described dance composition "Kiyiz," which became a widespread dance. The performance "Altyn kyzy" used not only elements of folk plasticity. Choreographer N. Kholfin, while staging the dance of partisans, introduced elements of acrobatics and gymnastics into it. These unusual techniques did not disrupt the folk character of the dance but enriched it even more.

From the History of Kyrgyz Folk Dance. Part 1