Kotsari
Encyclopedia
Kochari is an old folk dance
, danced today by Pontic Greeks
, Azerbaijanis
, Armenians, Assyrians
, Turks
and Kurds
.
Kochari is closely related to the "Haleh" or "Yalli", a dance common to Azerbaijanis, Assyrians
, and Kurds
.
"Govand" is also part of this family of dances. See also the kurdish word for dance, Govend.
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 Anatolia after Armenians were driven out of Armenia because of the genocide caused by Turkey. This movement is appropriate for its name, which in various Turkish languages signifies "nomad"
, especially in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and sorrounding areas. This dancing is included to the dancings of the Azerbaijani people
. The “Kochari” dancing, consisting of slow and rapid parts, is of three variants. In the men or women lining up one after another or one woman after one man position, a yallihead (holder) holds a stick in his / her hand. This stick isn’t to punish the dancers but factually it has a dancing importance.
Today this dancing is played in the ancient Nakhchivan land of which Sharur, Sadarak, Kangarli, Julfa and Shahbuz regions’ folklore collectives and it gives a stimule to the weddings.
, where "Koçer" means nomad, thus the term is used by Kurds for the dance that nomads dance. Among Kurdish nomads however, this is a specialty, not the only dance they know of.
and Armenians
have many vigorous warlike dances such as the Kochari.
Unlike most Pontic dances, the Kotsari is in an even rhythm (2/4), originally danced in a closed circle. The dance is very popular today; however, it is often danced differently from the original. There is a consistent, vicious double bounce, also referred to as tremoulo. It is danced hand to shoulder and travels to the right. There are few variations which may be added to the step. It's a dance that tries to fear the viewers. At the start, it is danced by both men and women. Then, men go in front and do their figures.
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
, danced today by Pontic Greeks
Pontic Greeks
The Pontians are an ethnic group traditionally living in the Pontus region, the shores of Turkey's Black Sea...
, Azerbaijanis
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
, Armenians, Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
, Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
and Kurds
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
.
Kochari is closely related to the "Haleh" or "Yalli", a dance common to Azerbaijanis, Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
, and Kurds
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
.
"Govand" is also part of this family of dances. See also the kurdish word for dance, Govend.
Etymology
- In ArmenianArmenian languageThe Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
, Kochari literally means "knee-go". Koch means "knee" and ari means "go". - In ontic Greek, the 'kotsi' refers to the heel of the foot and the Greeks consider the heel to be the main part of the foot which the dancer uses. The Pontic Greek term for limp is 'kotso' and the Pontic Greek kochari is considered to contain a number of limps.
- In many Turkic languagesTurkic languagesThe Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
, Kochari means "nomad" (Köçəri (Azeri), Gochar, Goçede). - In Kurdish, the word for nomads is Koçer, thus the name Koçerî makes it "Nomadian" (Nomadian dance).
Armenian
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 Anatolia after Armenians were driven out of Armenia because of the genocide caused by Turkey. This movement is appropriate for its name, which in various Turkish languages signifies "nomad"
Azerbaijani
It is one of the widely spread dances known as Yalli (Halay) in AzerbaijanAzerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, especially in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and sorrounding areas. This dancing is included to the dancings of the Azerbaijani people
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
. The “Kochari” dancing, consisting of slow and rapid parts, is of three variants. In the men or women lining up one after another or one woman after one man position, a yallihead (holder) holds a stick in his / her hand. This stick isn’t to punish the dancers but factually it has a dancing importance.
Today this dancing is played in the ancient Nakhchivan land of which Sharur, Sadarak, Kangarli, Julfa and Shahbuz regions’ folklore collectives and it gives a stimule to the weddings.
Kurdish Koçerî
Koçerî is a special form of the "Delîlo" or "Şêxanî" kurdish dance, and as the name says, it is very common and more frequently danced by the Kurdish nomads. Koçerî simply means "nomadian" in KurdishKurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
, where "Koçer" means nomad, thus the term is used by Kurds for the dance that nomads dance. Among Kurdish nomads however, this is a specialty, not the only dance they know of.
Pontic Greek kotsari
The Pontic GreeksPontic Greeks
The Pontians are an ethnic group traditionally living in the Pontus region, the shores of Turkey's Black Sea...
and Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
have many vigorous warlike dances such as the Kochari.
Unlike most Pontic dances, the Kotsari is in an even rhythm (2/4), originally danced in a closed circle. The dance is very popular today; however, it is often danced differently from the original. There is a consistent, vicious double bounce, also referred to as tremoulo. It is danced hand to shoulder and travels to the right. There are few variations which may be added to the step. It's a dance that tries to fear the viewers. At the start, it is danced by both men and women. Then, men go in front and do their figures.
External links
- Kochari music - Pontic sample´ Armenian sample, Assyrian sample, Turkish sample
- Kochari dance - Pontic variant, Azeri variant, Armenian variant
- Kotchari (Κότσαρι) )