Monks performing ritual prayers

Rope walking and under-rope performances are a genre of folk-spectacular art and have deep history. Some written sources testify that in the palace of Amir Temur magnificent performances were staged with participation of ropewalkers. There is also information that Uzbek ropewalkers demonstrated in the past (i.e. in XVIII- XIX centuries) their skills in China, India, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and other countries. But with a lapse of time rope walking developed significantly, so that ropes began to be mounted on a much higher height. Later rope walking began to be performed in circus arenas and became an integral part of circus art. Notably, the performances of ropewalkers were always combined with those of polvons (strongmen), illusionists, dancers, qiziqchi and askiyachi (comedians and wisecrackers) as well as with traditional circus-related performances (such as walking on stilts, tricks, acrobatics, equilibristic, legerdemain; tamed bears, snakes, monkeys, horses, goats, etc.).

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Because of the interaction with epic culture and performing arts of the Central Asian people, the Kyrgyz oral art emulated and developed widely the ‘dastan’ genre. Such genre is a folk refinement of heroic epics, legends, and storylines. Fantastic and adventurous situations with sophisticated plots are described in them. There are various dastans as ‘Ak Moour’, ‘Munduk, Zarlyk’ or ‘Gulgaaky’ which describe some historical events, reveal a heroic theme as well as displays small forms of folklore - blessings, thanksgivings, catchwords and slogans, proverbs and sayings, thus becoming the repository of popular wisdom and epic richness. Numerous works demonstrate that the dastan genre became very popular.