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Turkmenistan - UNESCO: protection of the cultural heritage
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The dance that has become the "visiting card" of Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan - UNESCO: protection of the cultural heritage
The dance that has become the "visiting card" of Turkmenistan
Published 31.12.2022
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The folk dance "Kushtdepdi" is a special part of the culture. Kushtdepdi is a vivid and figurative evidence of how the worldview of the Turkmen people has evolved. Its spiritual component was enriched, involving in the world of expressive choreography, combining the aesthetics of folk dance and ritual eclecticism, it carries a powerful life-affirming message, uniting history and modernity.

The tradition of dance performance originates in ancient times. Archaeological finds and written monuments testify to the ancient origin of the dance. According to scientists, on the rhytons dating back to the ancient era, found during the excavations of Ancient Nisa, Kushtdepdi dancers are depicted.

The dance performers with a choreographic language honed over the centuries, enhanced by voice vibration, talk about the endless cycle of being, love and the miracle of the birth of a new life, and reveal the ideological significance of rituals. Dance novels replace each other, and gradually, as the pace increases, the dancers, with energetic movements, involve the viewer in a cycle of emotions. The dance begins with the reading of verses that set the rhythm of the composition. An important element of Kushtdepdi is the measured movement of the performers in a circle with raised arms. The circle ends - the dancers stop with the words "kusht, kusht, kushtdepdi", as if welcoming a new life cycle.

The common features inherent in "Kushtdepdi" are largely due to the national character of the people.

According to art historians, the unique choreography of the Kushtdepdi dance, which consists mostly of smooth, synchronous turns in a circle, where each dancer is a separate and at the same time an integral part of the overall colorful action. The measured movement of the performers in a circle also resembles the orderly movement of the plates of the solar system, which makes eternal circles in accordance with the laws of the Universe.

It is the duty of present and future generations to preserve Kushtdepdi as a national treasure, an important element of the intangible cultural heritage.

The nomination "Kushtdepdi - the art of singing and dancing" was considered during the 12th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Preservation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on December 7, 2017 in Jeju (Republic of Korea) and unanimously included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

This fact confirms the recognition of the great importance of the spiritual culture of the Turkmen people, an integral part of the universal cultural heritage. "Kushtdepdi" as a colorful example of folk art, reflecting the symbiosis of historical and cultural traditions and the spiritual experience of the nation, is a vivid example of a harmonious combination of the traditions of the past and the creative energy of the present.


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