Хачатурянның "Қылыш биі" - балеттен аңызға айналған музыка

Movement in Khachaturian's ballet Gayane
the musical piece

"Sabre Dance" is a movement in the final act of Aram Khachaturian's ballet Gayane (1942), where the dancers display their skill with sabres. In the composer’s own words, the “Dance of the Kurds”, which subsequently became the “Sabre Dance”, originated with the insistence of the Director of the Kirov Theatre already after the rehearsal process had commenced. Although Khachaturian considered the score to be complete, he reluctantly agreed to add another dance in the last act. "Sabre Dance" is considered one of the signature pieces of 20th century popular music. It was popularized by covers by pop artists, first in the U. S. in 1948 and later elsewhere. Its use in a wide range in films and television over the decades have significantly contributed to its renown. "Sabre Dance" has also been used by a number of figure skaters from at least five countries in their performances.

It is notable for its employment of percussion instruments, especially the xylophone (or tubaphone). Daniel Chetel wrote that it features "very active percussion" with the lead of the xylophone and "dramatic glissandi for the trumpet and trombone." According to Tigran Mansurian, it is a synthesis of an Armenian wedding dance tune from Gyumri tied in a saxophone counterpoint "that seems to come straight from America." Woodwind auxiliaries include the piccolo, English horn, and bass clarinet. The harp is active throughout, while the celesta plays at the very end. The New York Times noted that Khachaturian "never disowned the 'Sabre Dance', but he did feel, apparently, that it deflected attention from his other works." He told an American interviewer, "It's like one button on my shirt, and I have many buttons." According to Nikolai Kapustin, Khachaturian did not like "when people are constantly performing his Sabre Dance and whistling at the same time." Kapustin told how Khachaturian once "imitated that kind of performance for us. We were laughing. Khachaturian, as well as Prokofiev, had a special sense of humor. They liked to joke with their friends, but only with close people, not everyone." Steven Poole notes that its "insistent xylophone accented melody" has "become a kind of global musical shorthand for cartoonish urgency." Jed Distler characterized it as "notorious", while David Mermelstein called it "garish and ubiquitous." Other critics have called it "furiously paced", "flashing", "rollicking," "rousing", "blazing", "high tension, catchy and rhythmically insistent".

After World War II, records of dances from Khachaturian's ballet Gayane reached the west and "Sabre Dance" "caused an immediate sensation and straightaway becoming a popular classical hit." In 1948, three records of "Sabre Dance" reached number one in the Billboard Best Selling Records by Classical Artists: by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Artur Rodziński), by the New York Philharmonic (conducted by Efrem Kurtz), It was released in the 2002 album Legendary Liberace: Musical Highlights of the PBS Special. In 1966 Mikhail Rozhkov and Georgiy Minyayev played it on balalaika and guitar, respectively, on Soviet Central Television. An electric guitar version by Dave Edmunds' band Love Sculpture reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1968. It also reached No. 6 in Switzerland, No. 20 in the Netherlands, and No. 28 in West Germany. The Dutch rock band Ekseption covered it in their debut album Ekseption in 1969. The Boyan Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments performed it in 1970 on the Soviet variety show Goluboy ogonyok. James Last covered it in his 1972 album Russland zwischen Tag und Nacht. Spontaneous Combustion released a 1973 single with two versions: "Sabre Dance" produced by the band, and their alternative arrangement "And Now For Something Completely Different! Sabre Dance" produced by Robert Fripp, Esq., with Fripp on guitar. The Pretenders, a British–American rock band, performed a cover live at the Marquee Club, London in 1979, which was later included in the 2006 reissue of their eponymous debut album. The English punk rock band The Boys covered it in their 1979 album To Hell with the Boys. Ivan Rebroff covered it in a 1982 concert in Sydney. The song "The Lord's Prayer" in German punk rock singer Nina Hagen's 1985 Nina Hagen in Ekstasy album features an interpolation of "Sabre Dance". The English punk rock band U. K. Subs covered it in their 1988 album U. K. Subs. The English punk rock band Toy Dolls covered it in their 1989 album Wakey Wakey. The Minsk based female performing group Charovnitsy (Чаровницы) performed it at Moscow's Luzhniki Palace of Sports for a televised New Years concert in 1989. The German heavy metal band Mekong Delta covered it in their 1992 album Kaleidoscope. Third track on 1994 single "Didn't Know I Had It" by Cheap Trick. It is heavily sampled in "Sodom and Gomorrah" by the German heavy metal band Accept, from their 1994 album Death Row. "Šavlový tanec" in the 1995 album Šlágry by the Czech metal band Master's Hammer. The British heavy metal Skyclad covered it in their 1996 album Irrational Anthems. A cover by Vanessa Mae appeared in her 2004 album Choreography. It is sampled in the Bond song "Highly Strung" from their 2004 album Classified. American rock musician Tony Levin covered it in his 2006 album Resonator.

"Sabre Dance" has been used in numerous films, animated films, television series, video games, and commercials over the years, oftentimes for humorous effects. The piece's popular familiarity has been enhanced by its traditional use as accompaniment by travelling circuses and on television variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show when novelty acts such as plate spinners appeared. On June 6, 2013, on the 110th anniversary of Khachaturian's birthday a modern take of the Sabre Dance—Sabre Dance on the Street—was performed at Yerevan Cascade by the Barekamutyun dance ensemble and Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra.

Films in which "Sabre Dance" was used include The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), One, Two, Three (1961), The System (1964), The Seven Brides of Lance Corporal Zbruyev (1970), Amarcord (1973), Well, Just You Wait! 6th episode "Countryside" (1973), Pee wee's Big Adventure (1985), Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), Repentance (1987), Punchline (1988), Hocus Pocus (1993), Radioland Murders (1994), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Don't Drink the Water (1994), I Married a Strange Person! (1997), Vegas Vacation (1997), A Simple Wish (1997), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), The Lion King 1½ (2004), Kung Fu Hustle (2005), Scoop (2006), Sicko (2007), Ghost Town (2008), Witless Protection (2008), Le Concert (2009), Pájaros de papel (2010), Sabre Dance (2015). The song was featured in The Amazing Race 28, when teams travelled to Armenia and had to search the Yerevan Opera Theater for their next clue.

The National Hockey League (NHL)'s Buffalo Sabres have used the piece as a theme song since the team was established in 1970. After a hiatus, "Sabre Dance" was again made their theme song in 2011. In 2010 2013, "Sabre Dance" was played at Donbass Arena, the venue of the Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk, whenever the Armenian football player Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a goal. "Sabre Dance" was featured in the 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony held in Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia on February 7.