Traditions and celebrations bring people together, forming a powerful spiritual foundation for humanitarian cooperation and cultural exchange. This is especially evident in the actively developing Turkmen-Russian humanitarian dialogue, formalized by an agreement signed 30 years ago.
Joint artistic initiatives are a vivid example of the successful cultural and humanitarian ties between the two countries. Among them were the sold-out two-day performances by the Ural State Academic Russian Folk Choir in Ashgabat in November 2025.
The people of Turkmenistan warmly welcomed the artists of one of Russia’s oldest and most highly honored professional vocal-choreographic ensembles. The audience included people of various ages, reflecting the strong interest in Turkmenistan toward the culture of a friendly nation with which it shares not only a common history and commitment to spiritual values, but also a careful attitude – characteristic of both peoples – toward the experience of their ancestors, toward traditions and customs that form a shared cultural fabric and create a foundation for unity.
The choir and dance groups – 44 performers in total – arrived in Ashgabat, representing a unique ensemble widely regarded as a guardian of authentic folk art, a national treasure and a cultural symbol of the Russian Urals. Founded in July 1943 at the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Society, the choir has captivated audiences worldwide for decades with its distinctive style. It has performed in more than 50 countries on renowned stages, winning numerous international and national competitions and festivals.
The Ural Choir brought to the Turkmen capital its especially popular touring program “The Legend of the Urals,” which included the finest folk songs and dances – lyrical, wedding, round-dance, playful, humorous and dance pieces – as well as instrumental music. The audience was charmed by traditional Ural quadrilles, folk tunes, lyrical compositions, chastushki, original songs by composer Evgeny Rodygin, and the brilliant vocal-choreographic composition “Mother Russia.” Modern numbers “Moscow Nights” and “Katyusha” were also presented on the stage of the Magtymguly National Music and Drama Theatre.
All performances were accompanied by vivid video sequences featuring Russian landscapes, narrative scenes of traditional folk celebrations and examples of Russian crafts, which added special expressiveness and heartfelt warmth to the concert numbers.
The Ural Choir ensemble is a striking example of how folk song and folklore can sound contemporary through an organic synthesis of professional vocals, choreography and stage presentation. Each number on the theatrical stage was presented as a bright, sincere, soul-touching miniature performance. Through the language of song and dance, the artists told small stories from folk life, filled with wisdom, lyricism and, at times, with sparkling, unrestrained energy and humour.
Resonant, pure, deep voices with the characteristic Ural “okanye” dialect blended into an astonishingly harmonious polyphony, forming a single living organism, which is precisely what the Ural ensemble represents. Every detail of the productions – the artists’ facial expressions, their precise movements, their colourful costumes – complemented the folk rituals and scenes from the traditional Ural life.
The artists’ costumes were a story of their own. Bright sarafans, kokoshniks, painted shawls, belts, and embroidered shirts were created in the traditions of Russian folk attire. Their samples could also be viewed at an exhibition in the theatre foyer, featuring the collection of the well-known Russian ethnographer, collector and researcher of Russian folk costume Sergey Glebushkin. To assemble his unique collection, numbering more than a thousand items, Glebushkin spent nearly 30 years traveling through rural Russia. He now possesses the largest private collection of 19–20 century folk clothing from nearly every region of the country, including the Urals.
The ethnographer presented to the people of Turkmenistan handmade folk costumes that differ in style, colour, materials and decorations, intended for women of different ages and for all occasions. Speaking with the public, Sergey Glebushkin noted the similarity between Russians and Turkmens in their attitude toward preserving traditional, ancestral clothing, its role, informational value and its significance in national spiritual culture.
“Folk costumes are distinguished by high artistry and diversity, preserving centuries-old traditions,” Glebushkin said, expressing admiration for the fact that the Turkmen people have preserved elements of folk costume in modern everyday life.
The performances by the art ensemble from Yekaterinburg in Ashgabat took place within the framework of the project “A Complex of Cultural Events Abroad Aimed at Promoting and Popularizing the Russian Language,” supported by the Ministries of Culture of Turkmenistan and the Russian Federation.
In his address to the audience attending the concerts of the Ural ensemble, the head of the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation in Turkmenistan, Ivan Volynkin, speaking about the strong bonds of friendship between the two brotherly peoples, emphasized the symbolism of the fact that on the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War the performances by the Ural Choir – one of the brightest and most distinctive art ensembles of Russia, whose history began during the war – are taking place on the hospitable Turkmen land, where, just as in Russia, the military and labour feats of all peoples are remembered and deeply honoured. “In those harsh times, despite heavy battles and losses, people’s aspirations were directed toward the future. They strove for creation, sought inspiration in art and in their roots,” the Russian ambassador said.
The ambassador expressed gratitude to President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for their attentive attitude toward the development of bilateral humanitarian ties.
The tour of the Ural State Academic Russian Folk Choir in Turkmenistan became a symbol of friendship between the two peoples and demonstrated the importance of cultural interaction in the modern world. This was also noted in interviews by the ensemble’s artistic director, Nikolay Zaitsev. The artistic director also said that this was not the Ural Choir’s first visit to Ashgabat. “The first visit was back in 1988. And now, for the first time in the 21st century, the Ural Choir is here again, on the hospitable land of Turkmenistan. When I asked our veterans how they had been received, they remembered those events very warmly, saying that the sounds of the dutar still echo in their hearts. Our concerts today have once again become a generator of unity between our peoples, of our friendship, just as it was before. And this is extremely important today,” Nikolay Zaitsev said.
The concerts by the Russian artists in Ashgabat gave the people of Turkmenistan wonderful emotions and a sense of deep connection with a culture that is passed down from generation to generation and unites people.