Chabata from Sosna

Chabata is a dance known throughout Tatarstan, distinguished by its unique rhythm: not two quarters, but three! The film crew traveled to Nizhnyaya Sosna, a village in the Baltasinsky district where this dance is especially popular. It was here that the choreographer of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Republic of Tatarstan first witnessed chabata, adapted it for the stage, and made it widely known.

Is this how traditions are preserved? Perhaps. The film presents three stages in the evolution of this folk dance: its performance in the village, its adaptation on stage, and its experimental theatrical interpretation, seeking to uncover its origins. Long ago, chabata was danced exclusively by men. Now, all our protagonists are women.