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| Ahmat Mollaq (Front) performs Samawar Dance in a restaurant in Kuqa County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 16, 2011. (Xinhua/Bu Duomen) |
BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Samawar, a traditional dance which enjoys a history of over 100 years, was originated in the region in Kuqa.
During the performance, the Samawar requires the dancers to carry on the head a large plate with a water pot and 16 cups, which is a tough demand not only for the skill, but also for the strength.
Consequently, the Samawar Dance is on the verge of extinction. Ahmat Mollaq began to teach himself the Samawar Dance when he was 12 years old after watching the dance performed by Imam Turdi, a Samawar master.
And now he is the only artist who can perform the full version of Samawar in Kuqa. But the whole set of water pot and cups, which has a total weight of eight kilograms, makes 52-year-old Ahmat Mollaq feel incompetent during the performance.
"Forty years ago, I began to learn this dance because only a few people can perform it. Now, I will try to attract more kids to learn the skill to preserve the dance." Ahmat said as he has witnessed the perish of the Samawar performers."
But I feel very proud of being the inheritor of this dance." Ahmat Mollaq, who retired form a local song and dance troupe in 2005, is a staff member of a township cultural station.
He often performs the Samawar dance for the public in his spare time, to promote the art. "I hope people could cherish the art and we can carry forward the Samawar dance".
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Ahmat Mollaq (Front) performs Samawar Dance in a restaurant in Kuqa County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 15, 2011. (Xinhua/Bu Duomen)
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