Uzbek Dance and Culture Society
"Legacy of the Silk Road"
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Government of Uzbekistan Awards
Laurel Victoria Gray
the 'Xalqlar Dosligi" Medal

From Uzbek Ambassador Javlon Vakhabov:
"A wonderful evening The Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the U.S. and Canada hosted yesterday [October 28, 2021] launching the 18th Central Asian Dance Camp. It was my great honor to present the award “Friendship Among The Peoples” to Laurel Victoria Gray (Silk Road Dance Company) for her invaluable contribution to enhancing people-to-people ties and promoting #Uzbekistan culture in the U.S.
Laurel Khanum has not only dedicated her life mastering Uzbek dance in the U.S. and far beyond, but also remains most humble, professional, and passionate about what she is doing. And this lady is an internationally recognized scholar, choreographer, performer, costume designer, pioneer of Uzbek dance in America. I am inspired by her noble personality that always searches for new discoveries.
Laurel Khanum has mastered dances from Silk Road cultures and beyond. She combines her degrees in history with decades of field research and teaches dance at The George Washington University. Dr. Gray founded the award-winning Silk Road Dance Company (SRDC) in 1995, bringing the lovers of our culture together at the Central Asian Dance Camp annually, showing the beauty during many events across the U.S. and far beyond.
Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray, in one word, is our treasure in the U.S. Thank you for everything you have been doing over the years. I hope to continue our long-lasting friendship."
"A wonderful evening The Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the U.S. and Canada hosted yesterday [October 28, 2021] launching the 18th Central Asian Dance Camp. It was my great honor to present the award “Friendship Among The Peoples” to Laurel Victoria Gray (Silk Road Dance Company) for her invaluable contribution to enhancing people-to-people ties and promoting #Uzbekistan culture in the U.S.
Laurel Khanum has not only dedicated her life mastering Uzbek dance in the U.S. and far beyond, but also remains most humble, professional, and passionate about what she is doing. And this lady is an internationally recognized scholar, choreographer, performer, costume designer, pioneer of Uzbek dance in America. I am inspired by her noble personality that always searches for new discoveries.
Laurel Khanum has mastered dances from Silk Road cultures and beyond. She combines her degrees in history with decades of field research and teaches dance at The George Washington University. Dr. Gray founded the award-winning Silk Road Dance Company (SRDC) in 1995, bringing the lovers of our culture together at the Central Asian Dance Camp annually, showing the beauty during many events across the U.S. and far beyond.
Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray, in one word, is our treasure in the U.S. Thank you for everything you have been doing over the years. I hope to continue our long-lasting friendship."
Silk Road Dance Company
Kicks Off Silver Anniversary at
Intersections Festival
February 18, 2020 by Leslie Holleran
What better way to launch a dance company’s 25th year than with a sumptuous performance? And so, Silk Road Dance Company will perform The Golden Road to Samarkand at Atlas Performing Arts Center’s Intersections Festival in Washington, D.C., on February 22.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE ARTICLE
What better way to launch a dance company’s 25th year than with a sumptuous performance? And so, Silk Road Dance Company will perform The Golden Road to Samarkand at Atlas Performing Arts Center’s Intersections Festival in Washington, D.C., on February 22.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE ARTICLE

Discover Uzbek Dance!

Founded in 1985, by Dr. Laurel Victoria Gray the Uzbek Dance and Culture Society builds bridges of understanding between East and West through the preservation and promulgation of traditional Central Asian arts.
Activities include cultural exchange programs, concert tours, lectures, dance demonstrations, master classes with leading Uzbek artists, and other events.
The Uzbek Dance and Culture Society (UDCS) organized the U.S. tours for the "Artists of Uzbekistan" (1989) and the "Uzbekistan Folklore Ensemble" (1990), as well as assisting with the 2001 Kennedy Center concert by Tashkent's Ensemble Munojot.
In 1988, at the invitation of Uzbekistan's Union of Theatrical Workers, the Uzbek Dance and Culture Society traveled to Uzbekistan and Georgia. The historic 1989 delegation, with 30 participants, returned to Uzbekistan to work closely with artists from Tashkent's professional theatres.
Since 1995, the Central Asian Dance Camp has provided opportunities for Americans to study traditional Uzbek, Tajik, Uighur, Afghan and Persian dance with master instructors. The first camps took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, then relocated to Washington, DC, where they have been held at various locations, including the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan. (See photos below from 2000 and 2019.)
Central Asian Dance Camp venues are usually spacious dance studios with mirrors. Meals prepared by professional chefs are often provided for the partipants. A Silk Road Bazaar offers dance costumes, music, and other hard-to-find items for sale.
The Uzbek Dance and Culture Society has hosted leading Uzbek artists including Qizlarhon Dusmuhamedova, Qadir Muminov, Viktoria "Viloyat" Akilova, Shakir Ahmedov, Habibulla Rasulov, as well as the Uzbekistan Dance Ensemble.
Activities include cultural exchange programs, concert tours, lectures, dance demonstrations, master classes with leading Uzbek artists, and other events.
The Uzbek Dance and Culture Society (UDCS) organized the U.S. tours for the "Artists of Uzbekistan" (1989) and the "Uzbekistan Folklore Ensemble" (1990), as well as assisting with the 2001 Kennedy Center concert by Tashkent's Ensemble Munojot.
In 1988, at the invitation of Uzbekistan's Union of Theatrical Workers, the Uzbek Dance and Culture Society traveled to Uzbekistan and Georgia. The historic 1989 delegation, with 30 participants, returned to Uzbekistan to work closely with artists from Tashkent's professional theatres.
Since 1995, the Central Asian Dance Camp has provided opportunities for Americans to study traditional Uzbek, Tajik, Uighur, Afghan and Persian dance with master instructors. The first camps took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, then relocated to Washington, DC, where they have been held at various locations, including the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan. (See photos below from 2000 and 2019.)
Central Asian Dance Camp venues are usually spacious dance studios with mirrors. Meals prepared by professional chefs are often provided for the partipants. A Silk Road Bazaar offers dance costumes, music, and other hard-to-find items for sale.
The Uzbek Dance and Culture Society has hosted leading Uzbek artists including Qizlarhon Dusmuhamedova, Qadir Muminov, Viktoria "Viloyat" Akilova, Shakir Ahmedov, Habibulla Rasulov, as well as the Uzbekistan Dance Ensemble.