The Sabre Dance is a movement in the final act of Aram Khachaturian's 1942 ballet Gayane. The movement, especially its middle section, is based on Armenian folk music. It is widely considered Khachaturian's most famous work. In 1948 the Sabre Dance became a jukebox hit in the United States. The piece was further made popular by covers by pop artists, first in the US and later in other countries, such as the UK and Germany. Its use in a wide range of films and TV series over the decades have significantly contributed to its renown. The Sabre Dance has also been used by a number of figure skaters. Tom Huizenga of NPR describes it as "one of the catchiest, most familiar—perhaps most maddening—tunes to come out of the 20th century." Billboard magazine calls it "a piece that's known to every pops orchestra in existence."
