DUSHANBE, July 31, Asia-Plus — Manizha Mahmoudzoda, a 16-year-old gymnast from Dushanbe, 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, press release issued by the US Embassy in Dushanbe said.
Her artistry, skill and flexibility had impressed audiences in Dushanbe, including Jon Larsen, a U.S. Embassy official who saw Manizha perform as part of an exhibition in commemoration of the first day of spring, or Navrouz.
According to press release, Larsen and his colleagues agreed that she “was one of the best dancers any one of us had ever seen,” he told USINFO.
His recommendation and that of another colleague at the State Department convinced the ADF to accept Mahmoudzoda on fairly short notice and to offer her a scholarship covering tuition, room and board.
Mahmoudzoda, 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.љ She was one of nearly 500 students from 24 countries at the 2007 festival, which is held annually at Duke University in Durham.
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 2007 Academy Awards.
Mahmoudzoda, 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,” Manizha said.
She is the first ADF participant from Tajikistan and one of the youngest at the festival. Mahmoudzoda was one of 20 dancers and choreographers participating in the ADF’s International Choreographers Residency Program (ICRP).
