Eagle dancers spread their traditional wings

Learning skills

Luchi Jurat, 33, is the leading dancer of the Pamir area troupe, which has more than 40 performers.

He started learning the eagle dance from his father and grandfather when he was 13.

"We often danced together at gatherings, which made me feel very relaxed," he said, adding that his family loved music.

He attended a vocational school in Kashgar in Xinjiang's south and after graduation decided to resume his passion for the eagle dance. He studied with a well-known instructor for two years and improved his dance skills.

In 2009, Luchi became a professional dancer with the Tashikurgan troupe and has since traveled to Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, Shanghai, Bangkok in Thailand and Dushanbe in Tajikistan, where the troupe performed the eagle dance and had exchanges with performers from different cultural backgrounds.

"I hope that I can visit more places to present the charm of the eagle dance and also learn from other dancers," he said.

When the troupe performs at shows for tourists, Luchi usually prepares for at least three performances.

"Now and then, some tourists came to me and express their desire to learn the dance. And I am regularly invited by local primary schools to teach children how to perform the eagle dance," Luchi said, adding that he wants to inspire more young Tajik people's interest in the traditional dance.

Anayim Niyaz, 23, is Luchi's dance partner.

She has loved dancing ever since she was a child. After graduating from a college in Urumqi, she went back to Tashikurgan and studied the eagle dance. She joined the troupe in 2019 after passing an audition. "Learning the eagle dance is not as easy as I imagined. I had to work harder to hone my skills," she said.