Kochari
is a type of dance, not a concrete single dance. Each region in the Armenian Highlands had its own Kochari, with its unique way of both dancing and music. “Haleh” or “Yalli“, a dance common to Azerbaijanis, Assyrians, and Kurds has different forms known as Kochari.
In Armenian, Kochari literally means “knee-come”. Koch means “knee” and ari means “come”
Armenians have been dancing Kochari for over a thousand years.The dance is danced to a 2/4 rhythm. Dancers form a closed circle, putting their hands on each other’s shoulders. This may symbolize the alienation that this minority community felt at the time of the dance’s birth.
The dance is danced by both men and women and is intended to be intimidating. More modern forms of Kochari have added a “tremolo step,” which involves shaking the whole body. It spread to the eastern part of Armenia after Armenians were driven out of Anatolia because of the genocide caused by Turkey. This movement is appropriate for its name, which in various Turkish languages signifies “nomad”
Below is footage of kochari: 1st video is; Kochari armenian dance from Edmond Keosayan‘s movie “Tghamardik” (1973), the second is the Kochari –Armenian dance from the Mush region. –
shared with us by Levon Eskenian – The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble
Facebook page of – The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble
