Woodson iNite Praise Sauurdin 20240223

Friday February 23, 2024. Woodson High School International Night 2024. Jessica Lin performed a Mongolian dance called Praise, Sauurdin (薩烏爾登-禮讚).
Sauurdin is the traditional dance of the Oirat Mongolians and is especially popular in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang. The name is a combination of the term "sauur," which means human hands and animal forelimbs, and the onomatopoeia "din," referring to the animal-like swinging of arms to the rhythm of the tovshuur (托部秀爾), a traditional western Mongolian lute. The dance style is characterized by minimal lower-body movement combined with rich and colorful upper-body actions. This choreography blends enthusiastic and majestic body language with shrugging, turning, and spinning techniques to express the dancer’s yearning for nature and freedom, exemplifying the spiritual outlook of the Mongolian people.