STRUCTURAL AND SEMANTIC RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ANCIENT UIGHUR DANCE «SAMA»: ARCHAIC VIEWS OR CONTAMINATION OF MEANINGS

• Published in: Nomadic Civilization: Historical Research 2022-10, Vol.2 (3), p.63-72
• Main Author: Abdullaev, S.N.
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; rus
• Subjects: archaic; contamination; culture; dance geometry; gestures; round dance; semantics; structure; symbol; typology
• ISSN: 2782-3377; 2782-3377
• DOI: 10.53315/2782-3377-2022-2-3-63-72

The traditional dance art of the Uyghurs is diverse: the dances differ from each other both in the manner and nature of the performance, and in the geometry of the dance, a peculiar compositional structure, rhythmic structure, the number of dance movements performed, etc. The article describes the process and results of the reconstruction of the ancient Uighur dance «Sama». The author revealed the structural features and semantics of archaic dance. The author describes the structural features and semantics of archaic dance. In modern Kyrgyzstan, this dance has been lost, but efforts are being made by scientists, connoisseurs of folk art, and the public to revive it. In the process of rebuilding the dance, two aspects emerged. The first aspect is the invariant features of the circle dance. Archaic folk ideas about the world and typological features of the Turkic and Mongolian cultures are visible here. As the second aspect, the author considers the modern processes of contamination of pre-Islamic and Islamic ideas. It can be stated with satisfaction that the reconstruction of the «Sama» dance was successful, as evidenced by its display at mass holidays and the fact that it has become part of the everyday life of family celebrations. The author hopes that the ancient folk dance after its second birth will continue to exist among modern carriers of the Uighur culture.