Uyghur Dance Music

Dance Music
Uygurs use the term s?n?m to refer suites of between six and thirteen folksongs played usually for dancing. All the major oasis towns each have their own distinctive s?n?m, as does the Ili valley and the Dolan people. Each s?n?m employs the distinctive vocal style and a fixed suite of folksongs of its own region, but the s?n?m across the region are all related rhythmically, beginning with the same moderate four-beat dance rhythm and move gradually towards a faster four-beat. Each region uses its own preferred instrumental combination to accompanying singers.
Many styles of Uygur dancing involve a theatrical element, like the l?p?r, comic skits with sung lyrics and spoken parts, or the popular dance nazarkum of Turpan. Some Uygur dances are thought to be of totemic origin and may formerly have served a ritual function although they are now performed for entertainment.