When he's not batting away allegations of corruption and human rights abuses, Chechnya's authoritarian leader Ramzan Kadyrov rarely misses an opportunity to open his jacket and cut loose with some dance moves while his sizable entourage claps along. Here's a quick look at Kadyrov strutting his stuff in recent years, either as part of official celebrations or while launching into an impromptu jig at polling stations, football stadiums, and even airports.
Ramzan Kadyrov: Chechnya's (War)Lord Of The Dance
![Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov took a local dancer for a twirl at Grozny Airport in March 2007 when he arrived to greet a Tu-134 jet bringing passengers from Moscow on the first regularly scheduled civilian flight to land in Chechnya since 1998.](https://gdb.rferl.org/d87afaad-7b5d-44d4-ab87-57b9d8675196_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov took a local dancer for a twirl at Grozny Airport in March 2007 when he arrived to greet a Tu-134 jet bringing passengers from Moscow on the first regularly scheduled civilian flight to land in Chechnya since 1998.
![Kadyrov dances during a gala performance as part of the celebrations that took place on his 35th birthday in Grozny last year.](https://gdb.rferl.org/56cca80c-eb44-4e0c-af01-e44eff79ff2d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Kadyrov dances during a gala performance as part of the celebrations that took place on his 35th birthday in Grozny last year.
![Kadyrov also danced a merry jig to celebrate the official end to a 10-year counterterrorist military campaign in Chechnya on April 16, 2009. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/adeab0a1-f6d2-4f93-a144-fbdde94a9362_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Kadyrov also danced a merry jig to celebrate the official end to a 10-year counterterrorist military campaign in Chechnya on April 16, 2009.
![Elections often seem to put a spring in the Chechen leader's step. Here, Kadyrov dances after voting at the polling station in his clan's village during Russian State Duma elections in December 2007.](https://gdb.rferl.org/0d1db4eb-dc10-462f-a118-a30eb0d273e7_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Elections often seem to put a spring in the Chechen leader's step. Here, Kadyrov dances after voting at the polling station in his clan's village during Russian State Duma elections in December 2007.
![Kadyrov could also be found dancing outside polling stations in Grozny during Russia's presidential election in March 2008.](https://gdb.rferl.org/bc975e82-3338-4454-9f8d-73a8a8177f67_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Kadyrov could also be found dancing outside polling stations in Grozny during Russia's presidential election in March 2008.
![Kadyrov subsequently indulged in some open-air dancing after voting in local elections in Grozny in October 2009.](https://gdb.rferl.org/560b21b0-854e-4d97-bd99-8fbc6fcc16ff_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Kadyrov subsequently indulged in some open-air dancing after voting in local elections in Grozny in October 2009.
![And he was still hot to trot during Russia's parliamentary elections late last year.](https://gdb.rferl.org/f837d196-4d9f-4705-9a2f-00b1d1a89af4_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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And he was still hot to trot during Russia's parliamentary elections late last year.
![Kadyrov also found the time to lead members of the Chechen security forces on a merry dance.](https://gdb.rferl.org/4282515b-bd4d-42c0-b026-847cd3fafe63_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Kadyrov also found the time to lead members of the Chechen security forces on a merry dance.
![Kadyrov even performed Chechnya's Lezginka national dance at halftime during a high-profile friendly soccer match between the Chechen national team and five-time world champions Brazil in Grozny last year.](https://gdb.rferl.org/5dc7042e-e272-458a-969e-1e76da54d97d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Kadyrov even performed Chechnya's Lezginka national dance at halftime during a high-profile friendly soccer match between the Chechen national team and five-time world champions Brazil in Grozny last year.