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T0464075286This group of 28 Chechen children aged 6-16 perform amazingly energetic dances including acrobatics and sword-throwing to live music performed by six musicians. Chechens have survived two wars since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Many thousands of people have lived through terrible violence and chaos. Though the most recent war in the region is officially over, people are still recovering from this extended period of conflict. Children were often turned into refugees and lived in tent camps or crowded accommodation, had their schooling stopped and lived in a state of constant uncertainty about what would happen to them and their parents. For this reason, veteran Chechen folk dancer Ramzan Akhmatov set up Daimohk (which means 'ancestral land' in Chechen) in 1999, just before the most recent war began in Chechnya. He wanted to give a generation of children surrounded by violence a positive creative focus, and an outlet for emotional self-expression. Daimohk is completely non-political. The children feel a great responsibility as cultural ambassadors to a war-torn region and their discipline and maturity is very striking. Rehearsals take place in a disused sports hall in Grozny though thanks to money raised on previous tours, a new dance hall has been started and is now nearly finished. Daimohk regularly take part in high-profile dance competitions in Russia. Their participation in such events plays an important role in the vital reconciliation process between Chechens and Russians, whose relations have been severely damaged after many years of conflict. The children of Daimohk show the human face of Chechens, which helps to deconstruct the stereotype of Chechen fighters that remains in the minds of many Russians. Ramzan Akhmadov, who has recently been made a deputy culture minister in Chechnya, will bring the ensemble to the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, to two UK schools, and to Sadler’s Wells theatre in Islington. The ensemble are travelling to the UK by coach from Chechnya. | |
| 18 Jul 09 to 20 Jul 09 | The Lilian Baylis Theatre, Inner London :: V236 listing details L1349095469 |
T030201101Formed between the two wars that have devastated the small Chechen republic in the last 10 years, the dancers of Daimohk have experienced the horrors of war and yet developed as performers who have won awards and received standing ovations right across Europe. Combining classical technique with traditional Chechen themes and movements, a Daimohk performance is as varied as it is dynamic, encompassing raw energy, grace, acrobatics, theatricality and musicianship. | |
| 21 Jul 05 to 23 Jul 05 | Royal Opera House, West End :: V377 listing details L100978682 |
T02129971559A display of raw energy, acrobatic twists and turns, skilled swordsmanship, rhythmical drumming and grace. The 33 dancers of Daimohk (the Chechen word for ancestral land) are aged 8-18 and have been together since 1998. Established during a period of relative peace between the two Chechen wars, since 2000 they have been able to take their artistry abroad. The group brings the traditional dances of their homeland to the Linbury Studio Theatre for the first time, having received rapturous applause at shows and festivals in the Caucasus and across Europe. | |
| 18 Jul 04 to 19 Jul 04 | Royal Opera House, West End :: V377 listing details L1225066488 |
T1778041850Traditional dances from the Caucausus are performed to balalaikas and percussion. | |
| 8 Jul 03 to 10 Jul 03 | Riverside Studios, Outer London :: V331 listing details L0342963220 |
