Tajikistan’s ballet community is mourning Muhammad Azimzoda, lead soloist of the Ayni State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, who died on October 27 at the age of 35 after a sudden illness, reported Asiaplus.tj.
Colleagues remembered Azimzoda for his stage presence, emotional expressiveness and technical skill (on photo of Rustam Yuldashev). He danced for 24 years with his partner Farangis Saidzoda. The two met as children and trained together at a ballet school in Perm, Russia. After returning to Dushanbe in 2011, they were soon given the leading roles in “Giselle”. Among the numbers they loved most were “Bacchanalia” and “Anyuta”.
Their last joint performance was “Anyuta” at the “Ya” forum on September 11. Azimzoda had planned to return to the stage by the end of December.
“Muhammad was the same on stage as in life,” said his close friend Tohir Gadoev. For Saidzoda, the loss is deeply personal: she said she had lost “the closest person, a brother”.
Azimzoda belonged to a generation of Tajik dancers trained abroad who returned to build the national ballet scene. His early death is a significant loss for the Dushanbe stage.
CentralasianLIGHT.org,
November 3, 2026