This workshop is limited primarily to students taking the course 'Topics in World Dance.' If you are not in this course but would like to participate, please email genne@umich.edu to see if there are any available spaces.

Description: This class will introduce the basic movement techniques used in contemporary Uyghur-style minority dance in the People's Republic of China. Uyghur dance is closely related to other dance styles of Central Asia, including Uzbek, Tajik, and Turkish dance. Through hands-on experience students will learn to appreciate how dance cultures connect people and cultures stretching from the Middle East to East Asia. Absolutely no experience required.

Instructor Bio: Meihaayi Kayier is one of China's foremost experts in Uyghur dance education. Of Uyghur ethnicity, she was born in 1971 in Korla City, located in the center of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China. Since 1990, she has won numerous awards at the regional and national levels for her performance, choreography, and teaching in Uyghur dance. Her Uyghur dance VCD curricula (published in 2008 and 2010) are among the most commonly used teaching tools for Uyghur dance in China today.

Language: This class will be offered in Chinese, with English translation provided by Emily Wilcox of the UM Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.

Sponsor: This event is sponsored by the UM Center for World Performance Studies. It will be held in conjunction with the undergraduate course "Topics in World Dance" taught by Beth Genné of the UM Residential College and the UM Department of Dance.