Mamura Ergasheva

Mamura Zokirjonovna Ergasheva was born on 25 January 1951 in Tashkent. She is an Uzbek dancer and choreographer. In 1969 she graduated from the Tashkent Choreographic School, then studied in the French department of the Tashkent institute of foreign languages, graduating in 1977.

From 1969 she worked in the Bahor dance ensemble as a dancer and choreographer, and from 1990 she was its artistic director. Bahor’s founder Mukarram Turgunbaeva created a school of dance of her own, and Ergasheva is among the dancers who studied with her.

Her repertoire includes Uzbek classical and modern dances — “Munojot”, “Larzon”, “Lazgi”, “Tanavor”, “Farg‘ona ruboiysi”, “Rohat”, “Pilla”, “Gulsara”, “Nozanin” and others — as well as dances of other peoples: Arabian, Japanese, Spanish, Cuban, Iranian and Afghan.

As a choreographer she staged the dances “Navro‘zi ajam”, “Fig‘onkim”, “Sumalak”, “O‘zbekiston makonim”, “Tavois” and “Bahor nashidasi”. At the country’s major celebrations, such as Navruz and Independence Day, she worked as chief choreographer.

In 1979 she joined the union of theatre workers. In 1983 she received the title People’s Artist of the Uzbek SSR. In 1985 Uzbektelefilm made a video film about her, “Mamura Ergasheva Dances”. She was awarded the Shuhrat medal (1998) and the Order of Mehnat Shuhrati (1999).