The Polovtsian Dances, or Polovetsian Dances ( from the Russian "Polovtsy"—the name given to the Kipchaks and Cumans by the Rus' people) form an exotic scene at the end of act 2 of Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor. The work remained unfinished when the composer died in 1887, although he had worked on it for more than a decade. A performing version was prepared by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov in 1890. Several other versions, or "completions", of the opera have been made. The dances are performed with chorus and last between 11 and 14 minutes. They occur in act 1 or act 2, depending on which version of the opera is being used. Their music is popular and often given in concert as an orchestral showpiece. At such performances the choral parts are often omitted. The opera also has a "Polovtsian March" which opens act 3, and an overture at the start. When the dances are given in concert, a suite may be formed: Overture – Polovtsian Dances and March from Prince Igor. Analysis The first dance, which uses no chorus and is sometimes omitted in concerts, is No. 8, entitled "Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens" ["Пляска половецких девушек"]: presto, 6/8, F major; it is placed directly after the "Chorus of the Polovtsian Maidens" which opens the act and is followed by "Konchakovna's Cavatina". Theme from No. 8 The dances proper appear at the end of the act as an uninterrupted single number in several contrasting sections, as in the following list. Basic themes are identified by letters in brackets (e.g. [a]) and illustrated in the notation below the list. No. 17, "Polovtsian Dance with Chorus" [Половецкая пляска с хором tr. Polovetskaya plyaska s khorom] [a] Introduction: Andantino, 4/4, A major [b] Gliding Dance of the Maidens [Пляска девушек плавная]: Andantino, 4/4, F minor [c + a] Wild Dance of the Men [Пляска мужчин дикая]: Allegro vivo, 4/4, F major [d] General Dance [Общая пляска]: Allegro, 3/4, D major [e] Dance of the Boys [Пляска мальчиков] and 2nd Dance of the Men [Пляска мужчин]: Presto, 6/8, D minor [b′ + e′] Gliding Dance of the Maidens (reprise, soon combined with the faster dancing of the boys): Moderato alla breve, 2/2, A major [e″] Dance of the Boys and 2nd Dance of the Men (reprise): Presto, 6/8, D minor [c′ + a″] General Dance: Allegro con spirito, 4/4, A major