Turkmenistan - Kushtdepdi rite of singing and dancing

The Kushtdepdi rite of singing and dancing is a performing art involving creative poeticizing focused on good feelings and wishes. It involves singing with vocal improvisation and dancing with movements of the hands, gestures and footsteps in accordance with the tune of the song. The rite serves as a tool for conveying good wishes and is an inseparable part of ceremonies and national celebrations. The bearers and practitioners are the master singers and dancers experienced in the art and able to pass on the vocal techniques and the skills of the dance. The element serves as a bridge between generations based on shared spiritual and cultural values. The bearers and practitioners are actively involved in safeguarding the element, and community members ensure the viability of the element through performances at ceremonies and social gatherings that foster social cohesion and mutual understanding. Community members also partake in compiling introductory teaching resources on the practice and regular field expeditions are organized to gather information about it. Knowledge and skills relating to the practice are traditionally transmitted from master singers to amateurs through informal oral learning and practical training, but specialized music schools and cultural centres also help amateurs develop their skills through formal training.

Turkmenistan - Dutar making craftsmanship and traditional music performing art combined with singing

Dutar is a traditional instrument and musical genre from Turkmenistan. The dutar instrument is a long-necked, two-stringed lute with a pear-shaped body covered by a thin wooden sounding board. The resonating body and soundboard are made from a piece of mulberry wood, and the neck is made with the dried trunk of an apricot tree. To make the body of the dutar, the wood is rounded, hollowed out and polished. The wood for the cover is baked for up to twenty-four hours to remove humidity, then glued over the hollow of the dutar using bone glue. Finally, the neck, frets and strings are added, and the instrument is tuned. The dutar is an inseparable part of Turkmen culture and is used in all of the main genres of Turkmen music and singing. The music is divided into two types: dutarchy, which refers to music played alone, and bagshy, which refers to music accompanied by singing. There are also several sub-types. For instance, a dessanchy bangshy is an epic performance incorporating narration, singing and vocal improvisation, thus alternating poetry and prose. In Turkmenistan, dutar music is an essential part of festivities, ceremonies, national celebrations, cultural festivals, social gatherings and entertainment programmes.