Young Tajik Gymnast Brings Her Talent to American Dance Festival

Manizha Mahmudzoda moves from gymnastics into dance

Manizha Mahmudzoda, a 16-year-old gymnast from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, spent six weeks this summer studying modern dance and ballet at the American Dance Festival (ADF), a premier modern dance event in Durham, North Carolina.

Her artistry, skill and flexibility had impressed audiences in Dushanbe, including Jon Larsen, a U.S. Embassy official who saw Mahmudzoda perform as part of an exhibition in commemoration of the first day of spring, or navrouz. Larsen and his colleagues agreed that she "was one of the best dancers any one of us had ever seen," he told USINFO. Their enthusiasm and the recommendation of another colleague at the State Department convinced the ADF to accept Mahmudzoda on fairly short notice and to offer her a scholarship covering tuition, room and board.

Mahmudzoda, who has trained in dance gymnastics since 2001, made the most of her experience at the festival, studying modern dance technique and ballet for six hours a day, four days a week. She was one of nearly 500 students from 24 countries at the 2007 festival, which is held annually at Duke University in Durham.

She said her favorite event at the festival was the choreography of Shen Wei, a native of Hunan, China, who launched the acclaimed Shen Wei Dance Arts in 2000 at the ADF. Shen has been commissioned by the 2008 Olympic Committee in Beijing to choreograph portions of the opening and closing ceremonies, according to news reports.

In addition to classes in choreography, composition and technique, the June 7-July 21 festival featured more than 60 performances, some by internationally renowned groups such as the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Mark Morris Dance Group and Pilobolus, whose dancers performed at the 2007Academy Awards. (See related article.)

"Modern dance is cool, in my opinion," Mahmudzoda said in a telephone interview from Durham during the last week of the festival. "Maybe I can help people [in Tajikistan] study and learn more about modern dance because I got a lot of experience here."

Mahmudzoda is not devoting her energies exclusively to dance. This spring she graduated from the English Access Microscholarship Program, a State Department-initiative that funds English language and leadership training for 14- to 18-year-olds in predominantly Muslim countries. Her classes took place at the Aga Khan Humanities Project at the University of Central Asia. That organization helped pay for her trip to the United States.

In addition, Mahmudzoda applied for the State Department's Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, although she was not selected. She may try again or, after secondary school, seek an IREX exchange. IREX, the International Research and Exchanges Board, is an international nonprofit organization that sponsors academic exchanges, Internet training and other programs.

Mahmudzoda, who will be entering the 11th grade, said that after graduation she may seek an advanced degree and continue to study English. "And of course I'll do gymnastics training," she said.

On July 18, in Durham she performed a work for fellow ADF students that she choreographed herself, featuring gymnastics and modern dance set to classical music. "They enjoyed it very much because they were not used to seeing such flexibility," Mahmudzoda said.

She is the first ADF participant from Tajikistan and one of the youngest at the festival. Mahmudzoda was one of 20 dancers and choreographers participating in the ADF's International Choreographers Residency Program (ICRP).

"I like this festival. We can exchange our experiences; we can study other cultures," Mahmudzoda said. She enjoyed telling the other students about her country, and she admitted that she had occasionally been homesick. "I cried one day," she said, "but after crying I thought, 'It's okay, that's finished. Let's go to training.'"

Nicolle Wasserman, an ADF executive assistant who monitors the ICRP, said that, because Mahmudzoda's training had focused on gymnastics, she "had a lot to learn in the dance classes, but she's been a good student, soaking up a lot and taking everything in. She has thrown herself into it and learned as much as she can, and she wasn't afraid to try the really hard stuff. She is very ambitious"

Asked what she would tell her friends and family in Tajikistan about her experience, Mahmudzoda said, "I will tell only good things because I meet only good people and good experiences." Americans are friendly and polite, she said: "I like it that they always say 'excuse me' and 'hello,' 'good morning,' 'good afternoon.'"

She also was impressed that Americans are usually positive and optimistic "even if they're not feeling good," and with Americans' acceptance of diversity. "Here everybody is equal," she said. "I like that very much."

"I will also say America is a beautiful and developed country," Mahmudzoda said.

Information about the English Access Microscholarship Program, the FLEX program and IREX education programs is available on the State Department Web site. Information about the Aga Kahn Humanities Project is available on the Aga Kahn Development Network Web site.

See the American Dance Festival Web site for information about the festival, the ADF school and its international student program.

Source: U.S. Department of State

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com