TV talent show’s Xinjiang surprise
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Gulmire Muhammed's final performance on So You Think You Can Dance Photo: Courtesy of Gulmire Muhammed
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In an eye-catching and gem-studded dress, Gulmire Muhammed spins on the stage to deafening applause and cheers. This was her performance on final of the Chinese version of UK TV show So You Think You Can Dance - but could an ethnic Uyghur possibly succeed?
"We say that the first stage of presenting ethnic and folk dance is to show a style, the second is to show the culture," judge and professional dance artiste Huang Doudou commented after. "But you have given us the highest level: That is, to allow the audience to see the ethnic group's totem through your performance." With four out of five votes in total, Muhammed became the surprise winner of this year's So You Think You Can Dance.
What has proved a surprise for audiences is that, for an imported television show, the winner was neither a ballerina nor a "street" dancer but a multi-skilled folk performer who, despite being familiar with Western styles such as jazz and modern dance, nevertheless insisted in presenting different ethnic dances from her own hometown.
A piece of Uyghur dance, a piece of Uzbekistan ethnic dance and a piece of Tajikistan traditional dance: All have made the millions of audience remember this Xinjiang dancer forever.
An ethnic responsibility
Muhammed, 28, first started learning dance when she was 12 years old. After graduating from Xinjiang Arts University as a professional dancer, her outstanding performances led her to a new career path teaching at the university.
Over the past few years, Muhammed has participated in many competitions internationally. In 2008, she won bronze in a South Korean dance contest. In 2009, she went to Italy with a modern dance performance and again brought back a prize.
During 2011 to 2013, Muhammed completed her master's degree at the Beijing Dance Academy. However, instead of searching for more opportunities in the capital, she chose to return to Xinjiang, the place where she began her career.
"My home is here and my family is here," she told the Global Times. "It is meaningful for me to teach what I learnt in Beijing and abroad to my students here." For Muhammed, Beijing and Shanghai might have more stages and opportunities as a dancer, but only in Xinjiang could she become a really "useful" person.
This year, with only one expectation - to gain the experience and learn something new from dance legend Jin Xing, one of China's most famous modern dancers, as well as the most famous "mentor" on China's top dance shows - Muhammed made her decision to go on the national TV show.
"The university supported me strongly," she said. Being a mother of a 4-year-old daughter, Muhammed had her own concerns at the beginning. "But the university and people around me all hoped that I could use the stage to present my modernized Xinjiang Uyghur dance."
Fulfilling her promise, Muhammed impressed all judges with her modernized version of a traditional ethnic dance in the audition, opening the door to the finals.
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