Russian culture abroad: Russian folk dance Trepak to be put on the list of Xinjiang intangible cultural heritage

Russian Folk dance Trepak was put on the list of intangible cultural heritage of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The traditional dance is preserved in the city Tacheng which is situated in 530 km from the administrative centre of Urumqi and is bordered with Kazakhstan in the North-West. The city, which population is 170 thousand of people, is inhabited by 24 ethnic minorities, including Russians.

Trepak is an Old Russian folk dance, which is performed at a rapid pace. The main movements are the fractional steps and leg tapping. At the heart of dance is improvisation - when the dancer shows his skill and ingenuity.

Besides Russian Trepak in Tacheng there is the list which includes the skill of the Kazakhs in the production of art objects made ​​of birch bark, the skill of Uyghurs in manufacturing of copper products as well as a traditional healing method of the sibotyans – the production of cans for vacuum therapy.