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Mongolian
Arts and Culture > Dance
 DANCE
Mongolian dance began as a ritual performance
imitating the movement and manner of deities, mystical creatures
and legendary heroes. Shamanist perception of the surrounding
world and worshipping of Mother Nature influenced the style
of ancient dancing, as well as the shape and pattern of clothing
and accessories.
The great variety of folk dancing has been enriched by clans,
tribes and generations of performers. Besides folk dances,
there were special palace dances and religious ritual dances.
Organized professional dance performance dates
from 1924. The establishment of the State Central Theater
in 1931 opened a new era for professional and career dancing.
In 1941, the Army dancing branch was formed, and in 1956
European dance began in Mongolia. The first generation of
the Mongolian ballet dancers were trained in the USSR. B.
Jamyandagva was the first ballet master of Mongolia and
is the father of the national ballet.
The State Theater of Opera and Ballet was founded
in 1963. Since then, over 20 world classics including "Swan
Lake, "Nutcracker", "Romeo and Juliet",
"Giselle", and "Don Quixote", and more
than 20 national classics have been performed on the Mongolian
stage by national dancers.
With the democratic changes in Mongolia beginning
in the 1990s, a new generation of dancers are introducing
modern dance. Despite the strivings of young talents, there
are many obstacles to the development of Mongolian modern
dance to an international level. They still face lack of
experience, financial shortcomings, poor management of foreign
relations, etc.
It is worth mentioning the traditional religious
ritual dance "Tsam" as an internationally popular
Mongolian performance. It is an ancient mixture of theater,
dancing, ritual ceremony and of folk tales. Its uniqueness
had been highly appreciated in Great Britain, Germany, France,
Skandinavian countries and many other parts of the world.
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