Tamara Khanum

Who was Tamara Khanum?

Tamara Khanum was an Uzbek dancer of Armenian origin, notable for being the first Uzbekistani woman to perform publicly and without a veil. Tamara Khanum was a colleague of ill-fated Uzbek dancer Nurkhon.

Born Tamara Petrosyan in Margilan, Russian Empire, she grew up in the Fergana Valley. Khanum showed interest in dance as a child, performing Uzbek folk songs and dances.

Khanum's dancing had a profound effect on American writer Langston Hughes, who in a 1934 article, "Tamara Khanum: Soviet Asia's Greatest Dancer," praised Khanum for her performances and for breaking cultural taboos by appearing on stage.