Translated with AI
The press service of the Tajik State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. Aini announced the launch of a project to revive national male dance.
The theater's management held a series of meetings, resulting in the formation of a working group comprising renowned professors and artists from across the country. These specialists have joined forces to create a folk male dance ensemble. The initiative was initiated by the opera and ballet theater, which will serve as the foundation for the new company, drawing on its human and technical resources.
This decision received the support of the members of the theater's artistic council, who confirmed it in Protocol No. 4 dated December 1, 2025, on the formation of a male dance group within the ballet company.
"This initiative arose long ago, in unison with the ideas declared by the Founder of Peace and National Unity – the Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the esteemed Emomali Rahmon, regarding the careful preservation and popularization of our national choreographic heritage," noted theater director Kamoliddin Saifiddinzoda.
The theater director also presented a corresponding proposal to the President of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Professor Kobiljon Khushvakhtzoda. During the discussion, faculty members were involved in the project: Asliddin Nizomov, Doctor of Art History and Head of the Art History Department at the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan; and Askarali Rajabov, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Head of the Art History and Theory Department at the A. Donish Institute of History, Archaeology, and Ethnography at the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan.
The theater's chief designer, Jamshed Kholikov, will design the costumes. Shavkat Mullojanov, artistic director of the Shashmaqom ensemble, has joined the project as the accompanist and doirist. The choreography will be choreographed by specialists in the field: Iskandar Radzhabov, director of the M. Sabirova Republican Choreographic College, and Olim Khamrokulov, a teacher and rehearsal director.
Dikalu Muzakayev, People's Artist of Russia, Minister of Culture of the Chechen Republic from 2007 to 2013, director of the Nokhcho ensemble from 1992 to 1996, and artistic director of the Ingushetia ensemble from 1996 to 2001, became a respected advisor to the project. His name is widely known in the CIS countries as a symbol of folk dance.
The creation of the ensemble is expected to provide significant support to the ballet company's male members, who are currently experiencing a shortage of dancers. The project also envisions the development of an independent repertoire, the creation of authentic costumes, and the development of a distinctive interpretation of musical folklore.
