Malika Kalontarova
Encyclopedia
Malika Kolontarova is a Tajik
-American
dancer. She is known as the "Queen of Tajik & Eastern Dance." http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:9d8SD9cGf1wJ:tajikam.com/forums/showthread.php%3Ft%3D4031+Arthur+Gulkarov&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us
, Uzbekistan), a religious Bukharian Jewish family in Dushanbe
, Tajikistan
and was the youngest of her 5 sisters and 2 brothers. Mazol's father Yashuva wanted her to become a hairdresser like her older sisters but Malika refused and wanted to become a dancer instead. Her father later on let her pursue a career in dancing.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E7D8143EF933A1575BC0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&&scp=1&sq=Malika%20Kolontarova&st=cse Even though Kolontarova was rebellious as a child and had bigger dreams, she never forgot her roots even when she became famous. Being Jewish was looked down upon in the Soviet Union and in Tajikistan but Malika proudly identified herself as a Bukharian Jew stating that since she is famous and admired, she does not feel the need to hide her Jewish identity. "Most Jewish people [in Tajikistan] say they are Tajik or they are Russian because Jews get no good work, no good pay," she says, "But once I’m famous, I’m not afraid. I say, 'Me Jewish.'" http://www.forward.com/articles/6885/ Kolontarova was trained in dance by Gh. Valamatzoda and Remziye Bakkal. http://books.google.com/books?id=srR_4d3mjTAC&pg=PA94&dq=Qalandarova&sig=ACfU3U3KF1Te4I30x8bD4mXmRKfJTA7Mnw Her director wanted her to change her name from Mazol to Malika. He said that Mazol sounded "too Jewish" and Malika means Queen in Arabic and Kolontarova danced like a Queen. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E5DA173BF935A25752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2
Malika began her career in 1965 with "Lola Dance Ensemble" and later on went to the "Worker Resources." From the beginning, her dance moves were completely in sync with the music. Kolantarova became one of the most famous entertainers in the USSR and in Central Asia. She performed all over the Soviet Union and all over Asia, not just in Central Asia. She was well-known for her folk dances and the dances she created became a part of the Central Asian artistic culture. Kolontarova toured and performed different cultural dances in nations such as Japan
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=195458737&albumID=0&imageID=826029, Afghanistan
, Spain
, Turkey
, Russia
and India
. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=195458737&albumID=0&imageID=19072307 While in India
, she appeared in some Bollywood
films in the 1970s. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=195458737&albumID=0&imageID=1902907 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=195458737&albumID=0&imageID=19074022
Kolontarova married Ilyas Gulkarov, a Bukharian Jewish doira player and "Honored Artist of Tajikistan." http://bjews.com/modules.php The two went on tour in Europe, Asia, and all over the Soviet Union. Kolontarova was given the country's highest honor when she was named People's Artist of USSR in 1984, http://sadr-new.cssd.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/search?query=tions&pr=reesweb&prox=page&rorder=500&rprox=500&rdfreq=500&rwfreq=500&rlead=500&sufs=0&order=r&cq=&cmd=context&id=435c0ba4a http://bjews.com/modules.php?set_albumName=Dancers&id=Malika_Kalantarova&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php, becoming the only woman from Tajikistan to receive the title, after receiving the awards of "People's Artist of Tajikistan" in 1976 and "Honored Artist of Tajikistan" in 1972.
Kolontarova conquered the world with her fiery dancing. According to Igor Mosev, a director of an ethnic dance ensemble in the USSR, Malika is "an Eastern miracle" and she "made a revolution in Eastern popular dancing."
In 1993, Malika and her family moved to Queens
, New York
, United States
during the collapse of the USSR to escape the poverty in Tajikistan. In America, Kolontarova continued her dancing career by opening up the "Malika's International Dance School" to teach young girls how to dance. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E5DA173BF935A25752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&&scp=1&sq=Malika%20Bukharan&st=cse
Kolontarova and Gulkarov live in Rego Park. They have two sons and three grandchildren. Their youngest son, Arthur, is also a dancer. http://gulkarov.com/
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dancer. She is known as the "Queen of Tajik & Eastern Dance." http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:9d8SD9cGf1wJ:tajikam.com/forums/showthread.php%3Ft%3D4031+Arthur+Gulkarov&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us
Biography
Kolontarova was born with the name Mazol to Yashuva Kolontarov and Tamara Khanimova Kolontarova (both originally from SamarkandSamarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
, Uzbekistan), a religious Bukharian Jewish family in Dushanbe
Dushanbe
-Economy:Coal, lead, and arsenic are mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. The Nurek Dam, the world's highest as of 2008, generates 95% of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River...
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
and was the youngest of her 5 sisters and 2 brothers. Mazol's father Yashuva wanted her to become a hairdresser like her older sisters but Malika refused and wanted to become a dancer instead. Her father later on let her pursue a career in dancing.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E7D8143EF933A1575BC0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&&scp=1&sq=Malika%20Kolontarova&st=cse Even though Kolontarova was rebellious as a child and had bigger dreams, she never forgot her roots even when she became famous. Being Jewish was looked down upon in the Soviet Union and in Tajikistan but Malika proudly identified herself as a Bukharian Jew stating that since she is famous and admired, she does not feel the need to hide her Jewish identity. "Most Jewish people [in Tajikistan] say they are Tajik or they are Russian because Jews get no good work, no good pay," she says, "But once I’m famous, I’m not afraid. I say, 'Me Jewish.'" http://www.forward.com/articles/6885/ Kolontarova was trained in dance by Gh. Valamatzoda and Remziye Bakkal. http://books.google.com/books?id=srR_4d3mjTAC&pg=PA94&dq=Qalandarova&sig=ACfU3U3KF1Te4I30x8bD4mXmRKfJTA7Mnw Her director wanted her to change her name from Mazol to Malika. He said that Mazol sounded "too Jewish" and Malika means Queen in Arabic and Kolontarova danced like a Queen. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E5DA173BF935A25752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2
Malika began her career in 1965 with "Lola Dance Ensemble" and later on went to the "Worker Resources." From the beginning, her dance moves were completely in sync with the music. Kolantarova became one of the most famous entertainers in the USSR and in Central Asia. She performed all over the Soviet Union and all over Asia, not just in Central Asia. She was well-known for her folk dances and the dances she created became a part of the Central Asian artistic culture. Kolontarova toured and performed different cultural dances in nations such as Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=195458737&albumID=0&imageID=826029, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=195458737&albumID=0&imageID=19072307 While in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, she appeared in some Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
films in the 1970s. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=195458737&albumID=0&imageID=1902907 http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=195458737&albumID=0&imageID=19074022
Kolontarova married Ilyas Gulkarov, a Bukharian Jewish doira player and "Honored Artist of Tajikistan." http://bjews.com/modules.php The two went on tour in Europe, Asia, and all over the Soviet Union. Kolontarova was given the country's highest honor when she was named People's Artist of USSR in 1984, http://sadr-new.cssd.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/search?query=tions&pr=reesweb&prox=page&rorder=500&rprox=500&rdfreq=500&rwfreq=500&rlead=500&sufs=0&order=r&cq=&cmd=context&id=435c0ba4a http://bjews.com/modules.php?set_albumName=Dancers&id=Malika_Kalantarova&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php, becoming the only woman from Tajikistan to receive the title, after receiving the awards of "People's Artist of Tajikistan" in 1976 and "Honored Artist of Tajikistan" in 1972.
Kolontarova conquered the world with her fiery dancing. According to Igor Mosev, a director of an ethnic dance ensemble in the USSR, Malika is "an Eastern miracle" and she "made a revolution in Eastern popular dancing."
In 1993, Malika and her family moved to Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the collapse of the USSR to escape the poverty in Tajikistan. In America, Kolontarova continued her dancing career by opening up the "Malika's International Dance School" to teach young girls how to dance. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E5DA173BF935A25752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&&scp=1&sq=Malika%20Bukharan&st=cse
Kolontarova and Gulkarov live in Rego Park. They have two sons and three grandchildren. Their youngest son, Arthur, is also a dancer. http://gulkarov.com/