Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- BWG Production presents a new musical documentary about the history of national dance. The project was filmed with the support of 7SABER and the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan.

"Legends of Uzbek Dance" tells about the Uzbek dance art from the beginnings to the present and the outstanding personalities of the country who conquered the world stage: Tamara Khanum, Usta Alima Kamilova, Mukhitdin Kari-Yakubov, Mukarram Turgunbaeva and the ensemble "Bakhor", Isahar Akilov and others. The film presents 15 dance performances filmed in a modern style, including the classics of Uzbek dance "Munojat", "Tanovar", "Larzon".

The guests of the documentary are People’s Artists of Uzbekistan Gulnara Mavaeva, Mamura Ergasheva, Malika Akhmedova, Viloyat Akilova, Kadyr Muminov, Rushana Sultanova, Honored Artists Ziyoda Madrakhimova, Feruza Salikhova, Narziddin Shermatov, Honored Cultural Worker Karima Uzakova and Kariku

The film starred: Honored Artist of Uzbekistan Nodira Pirmatova, famous dance groups "Navbahor", "Bakhor", Sabo, "Toshkent Zebolari", "Uzbekistan", "Aykulash", "Navruz", the ensemble of dutarists Nozanin, maqomists "Makom", and also soloists Dilorom Madrakhimova, Sherzod Kenzhebaev, Dilnoza Artykova, Otabek Ruzmetov, Zhanar Toreeva, Dilnoza Mirzaeva.

The production of the film took 9 months. Filming took place in Tashkent, Tashkent region, Khorezm, Bukhara, Samarkand, Kokand, Karakalpakstan.

More than 130 dancers, about 50 musicians took part in the project. The filming process lasted about 200 hours.

The previous film by BWG Production "Hamid and Zulfiya" won many international film festivals, including in Cannes, Florence, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Athens, Barcelona, Venice. The premiere of the film "Legends of Uzbek Dance" will take place on September 1. The TV channels “Uzbekiston”, “Uzbekiston Tarihi” will show it at 18:00 in the Uzbek language, followed by a discussion, the TV channel ZOR TV - in Russian. 

Meeting of Mukhitdin Kari-Yakubov with the great composer Sergei Rachmaninov in 1925 in Paris. Rachmaninov was so inspired by the singing of Kari-Yakubov that he said: "What a pity that I cannot attend the premiere of the Uzbek opera."

Isadora Duncan, after Tamara Khanum’s performance in Paris, went backstage and asked the dancer to count her cervical vertebrae and examine her hands. She could not believe that having a normal structure, the hands and neck are capable of such plasticity.

Queen Mary of England, hearing the play of Ust Alim Kamilov on the doira in London’s "Albert Hall", ordered to take the cast from the artist’s fingers and place it in the London Museum.

Ruslan Saliev, scriptwriter and director

- For the entire BWG Production company and a huge film crew, filming this film was a big, sometimes difficult, but very exciting process. Uzbek dance is a special layer of our culture. “Legends of Uzbek Dance” is a film about people we should be proud of, who will remain in history and will continue to motivate generations. This tape is intended for a wide audience, we tried to tell it in a simple, accessible language in a modern format. Of course, the world of Uzbek dance is so huge that whole series can be filmed about it, so many worthy, great people, ensembles, phenomena in this area, which cannot be accommodated in an hour. Our main task was to make such a movie that would look easy and could be shown not only to our public, but also to a foreign audience, because Uzbek dances are truly fascinating. It was a long, difficult, many months, jewelry work, which, we hope, will find its grateful audience. We put our soul and love into this project. Love for art, people and their identity. This is a very special project for us.

Kamran Tuychiev, sound producer

- “Legends of Uzbek Dance” is a titanic work of a huge team. It was a great honor for me to work on the film as a sound producer. We reacted with special trepidation to the recording of classical compositions, and also very carefully, but with great love, brought in a piece of modernity. The sound work was very painstaking and insanely interesting. We spent a myriad of hours at the studio with masters of their craft and with the “ustoz” of national music. Uzbekistan is a treasure trove of talents and, I think, after watching the film, the viewer will be convinced of this, and the youth, it seems to me, will take a fresh look at the legends of Uzbek dance. This project is the whole life that we have lived.

Elena Kari-Yakubova, project consultant, art critic

- The offer to participate in the BWG Production project dedicated to the dance art of Uzbekistan was unexpected and very interesting. Working in a professional team, which director Ruslan Saliev managed to rally and unite around an idea - complex and beautiful at the same time, was incredibly exciting and very responsible. I was very impressed by his deep immersion in the material, his desire to find new interesting historical facts, his attentive and respectful attitude to sources.

The idea of the film to acquaint viewers in a simple and accessible language with the history of Uzbek stage dance is very relevant today. In order to move forward, it is necessary to know well the history, origins of the origin and formation of the modern dance art of Uzbekistan. 

The purpose of the film is to tell about outstanding personalities who created and developed Uzbek stage dance, donated their creativity not only to their native people, but glorified the art of Uzbekistan far beyond its borders. The legacy of masters who have become legend is a great example for creative youth.

Of course, the richest history of Uzbek dance cannot be captured in a short film, but for those who love and are interested in the dance culture of Uzbekistan, this is a journey into history, an opportunity to get acquainted with the main schools of Uzbek dance, to see modern dance groups.