Tamara Xonum

She worked as a dancer and ballet master at the Uzbek State Musical Theater. Enchanted by the songs and delicate dances she performed on the English stage, British audiences dubbed her the "Pearl of the East." She served as an artistic director, ballet master, and actress in the music ensemble of the Uzbek State Philharmonic.

Uzbek singer, dancer, and ballet master Tamaraxonim was born in 1906 in the village of Gorchakova, Fergana region. Interested in art from a young age, Tamaraxonim learned the secrets of Uzbek folk dance and songs from Yusufjon Qiziq Shakarjonov and began her stage career in 1919 in the drama troupe organized by Hamza.

She worked at the Tashkent State Theater from 1921 to 1922 and studied at the Lunacharsky Moscow Theater College from 1923 to 1924.

In 1924, she worked in the concert troupe led by M. Qoriyoqubov, and with that troupe, she participated in the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris in 1925.

Tamaraxonim's songs such as "Lolaxon," "Qorasoch," "Bilakuzuk," "Oyijon," "Fabrikaning yo’lida," "Qizlar, shitobingiz nima," and "Gulyor," and her dances like "Dilxiroj," "Qarinavo," and "Usmoniya" were beloved by all for their folk nature, popularity, and expression of the spirit of the people of that time.

Learning singing and acting skills from prominent artists of her time such as K. Stanislavsky, V. Nemirovich-Danchenko, V. Meyerhold, A. Nezhdanova, and Hamza, as well as her creative collaboration with S. Rachmaninoff, creative discussions with A. Lunacharsky, meetings with N. Hikmet, S. Yesenin, and V. Mayakovsky, and her performances in Moscow theaters played an important role in her finding her place in art.

Between 1925 and 1929, she played the roles of Halima in G’. Zafariy's "Halima," Shirin in Khurshid's "Farhod va Shirin," and Gulchehra in U. Hajibekov's "Arshin mol olan" at the theaters of Kokand, Andijan, and Samarkand. From 1929 to 1934, she worked at the Samarkand Uzbek State Musical Theater, and from 1934 to 1935, she worked at the Khorezm Theater.

During these years, her repertoire was enriched with folk songs and dances from the Fergana Valley, Samarkand, and Khorezm, and new lapars: "Yallamayorim" (Margilan style), "Omonyor" (Andijan style), "Buxorocha raqs," "Mavrigi," "Lazgi," and others. From 1936 to 1941, working as a dancer and ballet master at the Uzbek State Philharmonic and the Uzbek State Musical Theater, she choreographed Uzbek folk dances with her mentor Usta Olim Komilov and created new modern dances.

She created dance genres like "Bahor," "Qizil va oq," and "Atirgullar urushi" and performed the lead role in the first ballet she staged on the Uzbek stage, "Gulandom."

In 1935, enchanted by the songs and delicate dances she performed with Uzbek artists on the English stage, British audiences called her the "Pearl of the East."

Tamaraxonim worked as an artistic director, ballet master, and actress in the music ensemble of the Uzbek State Philharmonic from 1941 to 1969. During the Second World War, she provided cultural service with concert brigades on the Kiev and Ukrainian fronts, and for this service, she was awarded the military rank of captain.

The artist's songs and lapars are exemplary for their pleasantness and folk nature, and her dances for their grace and liveliness. The themes of friendship, freedom, and peace among peoples hold an important place in her songs. In this regard, the songs she performed, such as "O’zbekcha vals," "Parizodoy" (Kyrgyz style), "Jo’ra jonim" (Tajik style), "Kim kelyapti?" (Armenian style), "Garmonist" (Tatar style), "Qora to’rg’ay" (Kazakh style), "Qoshing qarosi" (Uyghur style), "Nilufar" (Indian style), "Binti shalobiya" (Arabic style), and "Qaydasan qo’zichog’im" (Indonesian style), are highly regarded.

As a mentor, she trained and raised many prominent artists. M. Turgunbayeva, G. Izmailova, G. Rahimova, R. Karimova, G. Mavaeva, H. Komilova, I. Oqilov, and others are her worthy students.

Having showcased the fame of Uzbek art not only in our motherland but also abroad with great success, Tamaraxonim went on tours to France, Norway, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Austria, Albania, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, China, Mongolia, Pakistan, and other countries. Her multifaceted and meaningful career was awarded the State Prize (1941) and the titles of "People's Artist of Uzbekistan" and "People's Artist."
The great figure of Uzbek culture, Tamaraxonim, passed away in Tashkent in 1991.

Tamaraxonim, the famous art master who captivated our people with her delightful songs and lapars and dances appropriate to their content, and who, among the first, demonstrated the true examples of Uzbek song and dance art abroad and was called the "Pearl of the East," left an indelible mark on the history of Uzbek culture. She became a laureate in the elite group of the international opera competition held in Italy.