Dancing to Armenian folk music

Shots of the folk dances performed by the people of Armenia.

Armenian dance heritage is one of the oldest, richest and the most varied in the Near East. Lead by certain kinds of musical instruments these dance forms come a long way from the fifth to the third millennium B.C. There are evident rock paintings of scenes of country dancing in the higher regions of Armenia of that time. In the fifth century Moses of Khoren himself had heard of how “the old descendants of Aram (that is Armenians) make mention of these things (epic tales) in the ballads for the lyre and their songs and dances. Armenian expatriates love traditional dancing which has now become very popular in the international folk dance and circle dance groups around the world. Most people find the Armenian dance very vibrant due to the excitement, delicacy and eloquence it represents.

The Dancers mainly put on the traditional Armenian costume in their dances to signify their history and culture and also to bring their ancestors stories to life. These costumes are designed while keeping in mind the religious traditions, family methods and practicality. The Armenian dance and the tradition is brought together by the deep red color and the delicate beading of the costumes. The gorgeous movements of the Armenian cultural dance are acclaimed by all audience around the world.

Uzundara or Ouzoundara is a lyrical Azerbaijani and Armenian dance performed by women. The song originates in a valley between Agdam and Prishib village in Karabakh area by the name of “Uzun dara”, which means Long valley in Azeri. The dance is especially popular among the Armenians of Karabakh. The authors of the book “Azerbaijani folk dances” suggested that the dance has spread among the Armenians of Karabakh as a result of their residence in close neighborhood with Azeris.

Two rows of dancers consisting of men and women used to play it. During dancing the men yalliholder held a stick in his hand but the women yalliholder a kerchief. After dancing of both groups, the yalliholder of the women group used to “fight”, as if joking.

Source : Wikipedia

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