Sabre Dance

"Sabre Dance" is an orchestral movement from the final act of the Aram Khachaturian 1942 ballet Gayane, in which dancers display their skill with sabres. It is Khachaturian's most recognizable work worldwide and is considered one of the signature pieces of twentieth-century popular music. The composition is a fast-paced work, lasting about two and a half minutes, and incorporates elements of Armenian folk music. The piece achieved widespread popularity in the United States in 1948, becoming a classical hit with orchestral recordings and a piano version by Oscar Levant, and a jukebox sensation with charting versions by pop artists such as Woody Herman. It has been widely adapted across genres and instruments, including for violin by Jascha Heifetz, for piano by György Cziffra, and in a hit rock cover by Dave Edmunds. Over decades, its extensive use on screen and in popular culture has made it a "global musical shorthand for cartoonish urgency" and a staple for variety acts. It is used in sports by the Buffalo Sabres ice hockey team and in figure skating. Khachaturian expressed ambivalence about the piece overshadowing his other works.