The azure coast of the Eastern Caspian was once again lit with the saturated colors of national costumes of different countries as well as multilingual speech, songs and dances. It was especially significant that the international dance and folklore festival “Avaza – Land of Friendship” was held on the Turkmen soil in the International Year of Peace and Trust. Dance groups from Iran, India, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan gathered under the warm rays of the summer sun to acquaint the audience with the culture of their countries. At the same time, the international dance forum was designed to get the peoples of the world acquainted with the Turkmen national dance art and ancient folklore.
Addressing the participants of the festival, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that “dance and folklore art play a special role in strengthening peace, friendship and brotherhood, bringing kindness to human hearts and uniting people. The main goal of the international festival is to develop and further expand cooperation in the field of culture.”
The fanfare in the water park of the Avaza National Tourist Zone heralded the beginning of the festival. The guests of honor included members of the government, representatives of international organizations, relevant ministries, cultural figures, students and schoolchildren. A festive procession of the festival participants became a bright and memorable moment.
And then a multi-colored kaleidoscope of festival events began to spin, mixing bright colors of costumes, a variety of musical styles and performances, songs, dances, laughter and joy of all festival participants, which created a unique art atmosphere for everyone who came to this celebration of music and dance. In the sparkling extravaganza of the festival, its participants demonstrated the versatility and diversity of national cultures, so different from each other but identical in their desire to bring light and goodness to people and fill their souls with warmth.
More than a dozen art groups from different regions of Turkmenistan successfully represented their country at the concert venue of the international forum on the Caspian coast of Avaza. Famous dance and folklore groups, popular performers of folk dances and songs shone with their talents, presenting Turkmen dance art and folklore. Among the groups were dance and folklore ensembles, accordionists, percussionists, dutarists and best students of art schools.
The festival also featured a scientific and practical conference dedicated to the national dance “kushtdepti” which was held in the conference hall of “Dayanch” health center. The program of the conference included demonstration performances by dance groups from Turkmenistan and foreign countries.
Originating as a ritual act, the centuries-old Turkmen folk dance kushtdepdi is alive today. It is a model of interethnic communication, remaining a unique art creation of the Turkmen people based on their ancient traditions. Over the course of life, kushtdepdi has transformed into a colorful, original dance, becoming one of the brightest phenomena of intangible folk art. It has become a landmark phenomenon of the Turkmen people culture, its brightest song and dance tradition, inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The leader of the dance group from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hamed Mataranloui, shared his impressions of the festival events. “Our team is immensely happy to participate in this wonderful festival. Here, on the shore of the Caspian Sea, we see how ancient and original dances of Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and India demonstrate the extraordinary richness of folklore traditions. This unique palette of art can truly bring people closer together and strengthen mutual understanding,” he said.
An extensive sightseeing program was also prepared for the guests of Turkmenistan. They got acquainted with the nature of the seaside city, modern sights of Avaza, national cuisine and took a boat ride. The international festival in Avaza in the International Year of Peace and Trust and the 30th anniversary of permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan, which is significant for the country, became an important event in the permanent process of international cultural exchange, cognition of folk traditions of countries and peoples.