Assyrian folk dance
Encyclopedia
Assyrian Folk Dances are dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

s that are performed throughout the world by Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...

, mostly on occasions such as weddings.

Types of Dances

  • Khigga
    Halay
    Halay or Yalli is a popular dance in the Middle East....

    : The most popular Assyrian dance, maybe because it is very simple to dance and also it is the first beat that is played in welcoming the bride and groom to the reception hall. Khigga has other sub-styles such as "Heavy Khigga" or "Normal Khigga". Heavy simply means the same dance beat but slower. Another style of Khigga involve instead of taking steps forward the dancers will take step back, reversing the dance steps.

  • Shaykhanee: Some say the word comes from the Assyrian word "Bshkhana" which means getting warm. Assyrians before going on a hunt or battle would dance on this beat to get warm. Much of the Assyrian original homeland was in snow-peaked mountains, so this was used to warm up the people. It has also been stated that it is "derived from the ancient Assyrian ta-ka'-ni, which means 'come, be happy'."

  • Chobi: A modern dance found in Iraqi music

  • Tolama: Among the oldest Assyrian dances, rarely performed these days.

  • Shora: A dramatic folk dancing found by Assyrians in Syria
    Syria
    Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

    . Shora means Battle in Assyrian.

  • Seskanee: A fast-paced song found mainly in the Nineveh plains among Chaldean Catholic Assyrians of Alqosh
    Alqosh
    Alqōsh or Alqūsh is one of the most famous Assyrian towns of the mainly East Syrian rite in Iraq. It is located north of Mosul. The name Alqosh is derived from an Akkadian name Eil-Kushtu, where "Eil" means God and "Kushtu" means righteousness or power...

     and surrounding villages.

  • Beriyo: created to be danced in the mountains while taking care of all the sheep and the other animals

  • Tanzara
    Tamzara
    Tamzara, Tamsara, Tənzərə or Tanzara is an Armenian, Assyrian, Azerbaijani and Greek folk dance native to Anatolia. This dance was especially popular in the regions of Erzincan, Erzurum, Kiğı, Arabkir, Elazığ, and Malatya. There are many versions of Tamzara, with slightly different music and steps,...

     (Tammuz Ara): Legend has it that the dance was brought to Anatolia by the Ancient Assyrians
    Assyrian people
    The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...

     during there conquest of the region in the Assyrian empire in commemoration to the god of food and vegetation Tammuz.

  • Dimdimma

  • Kochari

  • Belaty

  • Ekmaly

  • Gulbareh

  • Janiman

  • Mamer

  • Hoberban

  • Janiman Kavrakh

  • Aino Kchume

  • Mamyana

  • Demale

  • Bagiye

  • Chalakhan


See also

  • Armenian dance
    Armenian dance
    The Armenian dance heritage has been one of the oldest, richest and most varied in the Near East. From the fifth to the third millennia B.C., in the higher regions of Armenia, the land of Ararat, there are rock paintings of scenes of country dancing. These dances were probably accompanied by...

  • Tamzara
    Tamzara
    Tamzara, Tamsara, Tənzərə or Tanzara is an Armenian, Assyrian, Azerbaijani and Greek folk dance native to Anatolia. This dance was especially popular in the regions of Erzincan, Erzurum, Kiğı, Arabkir, Elazığ, and Malatya. There are many versions of Tamzara, with slightly different music and steps,...

  • Kochari
  • Sirto
    Syrtos
    Syrtos , is the collective name of a group of Greek folk dances. Syrtos, along with its relative kalamatianos, are the most popular dances throughout Greece and are frequently danced by the Greek diaspora worldwide. They are very popular in social gatherings, weddings and religious festivals...

  • Horon
  • Bar
    Bar (dance)
    Bar is a form of folk dance from eastern Turkey.With their structure and formation, they are the dances performed by groups in the open. They are spread, in general, over the eastern part of Anatolia . The characteristic of their formation is that they are performed side-by-side, hand, shoulder and...

  • Halay
    Halay
    Halay or Yalli is a popular dance in the Middle East....


External links

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