Malika Kalontarova

Following the collapse of the USSR, Malika and her family moved to Queens, New York, in the United States in 1993 to escape the turmoil and poverty in Tajikistan. In America, Kolontarova continued her dancing career by opening up the "Malika's International Dance School" to teach young girls how to dance.

Kolontarova was given the country's highest honor when she was named People's Artist of USSR in 1984, becoming the only woman from Tajikistan to receive the title, after receiving the awards of "People's Artist of Tajikistan" in 1976 and "Honored Artist of Tajikistan" in 1972. According to Igor Moiseyev, a director of a world-renowned folk and character dance ensemble in the USSR, Malika is "an Eastern miracle" and she "made a revolution in Oriental popular dancing."

Malika began her career in 1965 with "Lola Dance Ensemble" and later went on to the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Tajik Philharmonic (Dushanbe). From the beginning, her dance moves were completely in sync with the music. Kolantarova became one of the most famous entertainers in the USSR and in Central Asia. She performed not only in Central Asia, but all over the Soviet Union and Asia. She was well known for her folk dances, and the dances which she created became a part of the Central Asian artistic culture. Kolontarova toured and performed different national dances in the countries such as Japan, Afghanistan, Spain, Turkey, Russia and India. While in India, she appeared in some Bollywood films in the 1970s, as well as films in the Tajik movie industry between the 60s and the collapse of the USSR.

Malika Kolontarova (Tajik: Малика Қаландарова , Russian: Мазол (Малика) Яшуваевна Калантарова or Колонтарова ; born September 2, 1950) is a Tajik–American dancer. She is known as the "Queen of Tajik and Oriental Dance."