Dancing in the Desert:
1996 Central Asian Dance Camp
by Beatrice Rose

The first annual Central Asian Dance Camp, held last August near Santa Fe, was a never-to-be-forgotten experience.
Laurel Victoria Gray, with the assistance of Travis Jarrell, shared her vast knowledge of this form generously with full-time campers and a few part-time locals. The artists’ community where we stayed, Synergia Ranch, was developed by a couple who had been to Central Asia and were influenced by the culture and architecture. Thus we danced in costume, under a great arch in the courtyard, just as it is still performed in places like Bukhara. 

The camp was promoted as a "total immersion in Central Asian culture." It lived up to this claim. Even when we weren’t in class, which was seldom, Laurel and Travis continued to share their personal experiences of the people and customs.
Evenings were filled with videos, women’s rituals, and costuming presentations. A shopping trip to the annual Santa Fe Indian Market was included.

The limited number of participants allowed Laurel to be sure that we truly understood the material. We learned complete choreographies of Ferghana Uzbek, Persian, Tadjik, and Bukharan, accompanied by a cassette of all the music used
and complete notes on choreographies and costuming beautifully presented in notebook style. Some of the participants stayed an extra day to learn Russian Gypsy dance. 

This truly unique dance camp will be limited to 25 participants in 1997, so don’t procrastinate in securing a place if you are interested in expanding your dance knowledge in these areas and sharing the legacy this great teacher has to offer. 

Beatrice Rose is a performer and teacher who lives in Oregon.