The Dancer from Khiva

Born into an impoverished family in a deeply religious Uzbek village, Bibish's childhood was one of suffering and survival against the odds. At the age of eight, she was victim of a brutal attack which she then had to keep secret for fear of fierce rebuke. Later, her love for dancing - prohibited by Islamic custom - resulted in her being beaten, victimized, and ostracized from her family and her community. Despite all this, Bibish secretly cultivated her own dreams of freedom - of dancing, of raising a family, and of escaping to tell her story to the world. The Dancer from Khiva is testament to Bibish's extraordinary resilience and spirit: the harrowing and ultimately inspiring story of a woman who risked everything.