Today, April 22, marks the 128th anniversary of the birth of Usein Bakkal, an outstanding dancer, choreographer and director of Crimean Tatar origin, one of the founders of modern Crimean Tatar choreography.
Usein Bakkal was born in 1897 in Akmesdzhit (Simferopol). From his youth, he devoted his life to the development of Crimean Tatar art. He was a leading dancer of the Crimean Tatar State Drama Theater, a laureate of the World Festival of Masters of Arts in Frankfurt am Main (1927). In 1934, Bakkal created the first school of Crimean Tatar dance, which determined the future path of national choreography.
While working in the theater, he staged a number of important performances and dance compositions, including “Bakhchysarai Fountain,” “The Girl of Arza,” “A Holiday in the Countryside,” “Shepherds,” “Favorite Handkerchief,” and others, which became part of the golden fund of Crimean Tatar art.
In 1944, Usein Bakkal was forcibly deported from the Crimea, and in 1948 he was arrested and convicted on trumped-up charges. After his release in 1955, he continued his activities and became one of the founders of the Crimean Tatar State Song and Dance Ensemble “Haytarma”.
His work, imbued with love for Crimean Tatar culture, left a deep mark on the history of art of the indigenous people of Ukraine – the Crimean Tatars.