REVIEW: LAZGI Dance of Soul and Love at London Coliseum 14 September 2025

‘This fusion of dance from ancient to modern, hasn’t quite found its form yet, but holds a candle to Uzbekistan’s rich culture’ ★★★

The show is a celebration of heritage, tradition and the universal language of dance, featuring the National Ballet of Uzbekistan. The show pays homage to the ancient folk dance Lazgi, recently inscribed by UNESCO as a significant part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.  Split into four sections, it is a journey through time, tracing the rich history of Khorezm dance with its profound symbolism of love and wisdom. Each scene tells a unique story beginning with the desert, an oasis somewhere on the Silk Road. 

The spectacular set, the stage covered in sand dunes with a waterfall of sand, begins to shift and bodies emerge. The silk cloths are a theme throughout the show, sometimes given a practical use, at other times the diaphanous fabric is used as an extension of the dancer’s movements flowing gracefully overhead or as part of the set creating the folds of ancient tents. The journey of the caravan is summoned up with a mixture of traditional dance and contemporary styles of dance, a nod to the universal language of movement. 

In the second part the curtains open on a natural history museum with the dancers encased in glass. They are exhibits, representing the culture and the people. One of the exhibits is a ‘contortionist’ (created by two bodies), whose clever movements represent a tarantula.   Also, spider like, two dancers are lifted as one, giving the impression of many legs. Finally, of note are the stunning reflections of the dancers in the glass cabinets.

The third scene of the show represents the world of commerce, with office chairs spinning around the stage, with dancers dressed in business suits. It represents the difficulties of moving into the modern age and the desire to make a contribution to the future. The final movement is more balletic with pas de deux culminating in one of the highlights of the show (literally). The orchestra pit opens to reveal massed candles, as the dancers dressed in dark colours continue to express the language of soul and love moving through further candles massed on the stage.

The music for the evening composed by Davidson Jaconello, weaves the sounds of desert instruments, including the tambourine, into a rich tapestry of sounds.   The stunning sets and lighting effects created by the world-famous Japanese multimedia artist Yoko Seyama, also perfectly represents the culture.

The undoubted pinnacle of the evening is a Lazgi soloist embodying the exquisite and precious legacy of the rich culture of Uzbekistan. Her richly decorated traditional costume, matches the complexity of her extremely detailed performance.  The use of her hands, head and feet are so expressive that they appear to speak to the audience. At one point the dancer kneels and travels across the stage using the smallest of movements with great composure and skill. 

Frustratingly, when performing classical ballet and contemporary dance, the choreography appears derivative and lacks originality and can even be rather insipid. The technique used is not yet fully developed which leaves the dancers open to unfavourable comparison with world class ballet companies.   It does seem that they haven’t quite found their form yet. The dancers are so much better used when traditional dance is fused with newer technique.  At these times the sinuous movement of their arms, the head bobble and the flexible use of their wrists show exciting possibilities.

LAZGI - Dance of Soul and Love at London Coliseum 14 September

Idea Author: Saida Mirziyoyeva

Project Manager: Gayane Umerova

Libretto and Choreography: Raimondo Rebeck

Scenography: Yoko Seyama

Costume Designer: Frol Burimsky

Music Arrangement and Composition: Davidson Jaconello

Lighting Designer: Tim Vaclavic

Consultants: Gulnora Musaevа and Gavkhar Matyakubovа