Sabre Dance was composed by Aram Khachaturian for his 1942 ballet Gayane, and its whirlwind melody quickly escaped the concert hall into films, cartoons and television, where it became shorthand for frantic activity. Its association here with The Big Bang Theory reflects that same television life, as the piece is instantly recognisable even to viewers who have never seen a ballet. Decades later it still works because the tempo does the comedy itself, signalling hurry, chaos and over-the-top effort without a single word.