Assyrian folk dances are sets of dances that are performed throughout the world by

Assyrians Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...

, mostly on occasions such as weddings, community parties and other jubilant events. Assyrian folk dances are mainly made up of

circle dance Circle dance, or chain dance, is a style of social dance done in a circle, semicircle or a curved line to musical accompaniment, such as rhythm instruments and singing, and is a type of dance where anyone can join in without the need of partne ...

s like ballet that are performed in a line, which may be straight, curved, or both. Most of the dances allow unlimited number of participants, with the exception of the ''Sabre Dance'', which require three at most. Assyrian dances would vary from weak to strong, depending on the mood and

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of a song. Assyrian folk dances belong to five metric groups: (10 dances), (6 dances), (13 dances), (1 dance), (1 dance). The tempo would usually range from slow (70 beats per minute) to very fast (140 beats).

Technique

All Assyrians dances, with the exception of the ''Sabre Dance'', are done in a connected circle. Most Assyrian circle dances are lateral, vining and open-ended, where more and more participants can join the dance. In an open floor space, the lines assume open circular shapes where they tend to curve and acquire

spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:bouncing, swinging forward and back, moving side-to-side, lifting above the head and

clapping A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), b ...

. In many dances, the torso, along with the shoulders and arms, bounce up and down rhythmically. Stomps and stamps are also executed in Assyrian folk dances. Knee bends, deep squats and leg extensions are a regular occurrence in Assyrian dance. The connections include, hand-to-hand, hand to shoulder, and hand to hip, with hand-to-hand being the most popular. The hand-to-hand type has three connections; The "W", the "V" and the "T". The "W" arm hold is the most common where the arms are raised into the "W" position (or, at least, it appears to look like the letter W). The "T" dance is where hands are placed on other participants's shoulders. This is the least common dance of the three.

Dances

Fast pace

*''Siskany'': The Siskany dance involves the participants briskly shaking their shoulders where they move their limbs energetically, with an emphasis on their feet in a zippy manner. Sometimes the khigga beat is geared up to this to indicate a climactic end. The pulsating tempo is consanguineous to the electronic dance music and

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

found in western music. The dance technique is virtually like the khigga one, albeit it is in a faster fashion. Alternatively, a simpler form involves the dancers plainly going forwards and backwards to the beat with stomps, as if they are rocking or swinging. It is mostly danced by Iraqi Assyrians, and was first initiated by

Chaldean Christians Chaldean Catholics () ( syr, ܟܲܠܕܵܝܹ̈ܐ ܩܲܬܘܿܠܝܼܩܵܝܹ̈ܐ), also known as Chaldeans (, ''Kaldāyē''), Chaldo-Assyrians or Assyro-Chaldeans, are modern Assyrian adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, which originates fr ...

. The dance goes by the time signature of and the tempo is around 120-135bpm. *''Gubbare'': Mostly danced at the end of a party. The music is fast, lively and upbeat, akin to a jig. The music accompanying the dance is typically in the

major key In music theory, the key of a piece is the group of pitches, or scale, that forms the basis of a musical composition in classical, Western art, and Western pop music. The group features a '' tonic note'' and its corresponding ''chords'', a ...

. Pinkies interlock, dancers repeatedly go forward and back in motion in the circle. Popular song in a gubareh beat is ''Tom Tom'' by Linda George. Gubareh is in and its tempo is around 125-135bpm. *''Bablaka'': Fervently danced, with pinkies interlocking, where they (hands and arms too) move up and down energetically and perennially. But unlike ''gubareh'', the participant is more stable where they will not prance forward and backwards in the dance floor. Motion is intemperately focused on arms, shoulders and hands in ''bablaka''. Dancers may also rhythmically bend knees. The beat is virtually homogeneous to ''gubareh''. It also danced at the end of parties. The meter is and tempo is around 125-130bpm. *''Belaty'': The dance is accompanied by a moderately fast-paced Arabic rhythm (similar to

belly dancing Belly dance (Egyptian Arabic: رقص بلدي, translated: Dance of the Country/Folk Dance, romanized: Raks/Raas Baladi) is a dance that originates in Egypt. It features movements of the hips and torso. It has evolved to take many different f ...

music). Dancers would connect hand-to-hand in the circle, lift legs to the beat whilst making a slight leap and kick their legs to the sides in the air (this would repeat). An example of a notable song with a belaty beat is ''Ahela Yoni'' by Ashur Bet Sargis. Becoming somewhat rare and unwonted recently, songs traditionally in its rhythm are now played and danced to in the ''Bagiyeh'' or ''Peda'' beat. The beat is 125-135bpm. . *''Tolama'': Lively and energetic dance where the participants constantly jump and kick legs in the air repeatedly (similar in fashion to ''belaty'' and ''gubareh''), whilst also moving their torso forward and backwards. It also danced at the end of parties after Gubbareh, but it is not as commonly practiced as Gubbareh. Notable song in this beat is ''Shoshonla'' by Shamiram Urshan. The time signature is and temp is 125-140bpm. *''

Sabre dance "Sabre Dance", ''Suserov par''; russian: Танец с саблями, ''Tanets s sablyami'' is a movement in the final act of Aram Khachaturian's ballet '' Gayane'' (1942), where the dancers display their skill with sabres. It is Khachaturian ...

'': A solo dance that usually involves one to three participants. As the dance starts, the

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed t ...

bearer dances by himself, waving his sword and holding his shield (a shield is optional, though). The dance represents the symbolic surrender of the

bride A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bride's future spouse, (if male) is usually referred to as the '' bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, br ...

to the

groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man ...

and his family. In weddings, it is performed by the closest male relatives of the couple. The rhythm is a duple meter, and this gives a "springy" feeling to the dance.

Moderate pace

*''

Khigga Khigga is a style of Assyrian folk dance in which multiple dancers hold each other's hands and form a semi- circle or a curved line. There are multiple foot patterns that dancers perform. Its thought to have been danced for thousands of years. It ...

'': The simplest and most common dance beat in Assyrian music. Individuals hold hands with the line or circle following around the dance floor where they gently move one leg forward, backward and repeat with the next leg. Its music is the first beat that is played when welcoming the

and

to the

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another p ...

hall. A notable song with this beat is ''Moralon'' by Evin Agassi. Furthermore, the term ''khigga'' is also occasionally used to denote all the Assyrian folk circle dances, i.e. "Khigga'd belaty" ("khigga of belaty"), "khigga'd gubareh", etc. It is generally danced from right to left by Iraqi and

Iranian Assyrian Assyrians in Iran ( syr, ܐܬܘܪܝܐ ܕܐܝܼܪܵܢ), ( fa, آشوریان ایران), are an ethnic and linguistic minority in present-day Iran. The Assyrians of Iran speak Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, a neo-Aramaic language descended from Classical ...

s. Khigga goes by the

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western culture, Western musical notation to specify how many beat (music), beats (pulses) are contained in each measu ...

of with moderate

between 105-115bpm. Rhythm is similar to that of a

shuffle Shuffling is a procedure used to randomize a deck of playing cards to provide an element of chance in card games. Shuffling is often followed by a cut, to help ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome. __TOC__ Techniques Overh ...

beat. **''Heavy Khigga (Khigga Yaqoora)'': Virtually the same dance as above, except the tempo is 'heavier' where the participants would make more ardent and exaggerated moves, as its name suggests, namely knee bending. It is not to be confused with ''Siskani'', as that dance beat is faster and has distinguishing techniques. It is danced from right to left by Assyrians from Iraq and Iran, and left to right by Assyrians from Syria. Connection is always made by hands. Examples of songs having this beat is ''Zayno Mala'' by David Simon. Heavy khigga goes by the

of with

between 115-120bpm. **''Khigga'd Suria (Syrian Khigga) or Beriyeh'': Danced by Assyrians from Syria, it is a standard khigga that is generally accompanied by a faster beat, usually at around 110-120bpm. Dancers connect by pinkies, where they repeatedly wave their connected pinkies whilst taking a few steps forwards and one step backwards. It is generally danced from left to right. The dance technique is similar to ''gubareh'', but it lacks the fast-paced multiple forward-steps and leg kicking. It is danced during the entrance of the bride and groom at weddings. *'' Tanzara'': Legend has it that the dance was brought to Anatolia by the Ancient

during their conquest of the region in the

Assyrian empire Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyria ...

in commemoration to the god of food and vegetation. Dancers connect by holding hands in the circle or line, go forwards and backwards by making a little knee bending. Uncommon than above dances. The time signature is and tempo is 115-125bpm. *''

Kochari Kochari (, , , , ) is a folk dance originating in the Armenian Highlands. It is performed today by Armenians, while variants are performed by Assyrians, Azerbaijanis (yalli, uchayag, and tello), Kurds (dilan, delîlo, and sêxanî), and Pontic ...

'': The notable attribute of this dance is that the participants are connected by arms-on-arms (akin to

dabke ''Dabke'' ( ar, دبكة also spelled ''dabka'', ''dubki'', ''dabkeh'', plural ''dabkaat'') is a Levantine Arab folk dance. Dabke combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other joyous occasions. The line f ...

). Each leg makes a kick in a repetitive manner. Common among Assyrians in Syria. Very rare among other Assyrians. , 110-120bpm

Slow pace

* ''Sheikhani'': One of the older dances, Sheikhani is laid-back, albeit bouncy, and slightly slower than khigga. The main movement is two-step. The two-step begins with the right foot (right-left-right) and is then repeated with the left foot (left-right-left). Hands are interlocked, left arm is bent at the elbow and pressed against the back, right arm held forward against the back of the dancer in front. The dancers go forward a couple steps in, with their arms at their sides and at the same time, kick into the center. After that, they immediately step back out. A notable song with a sheikhani beat is ''Wye Wye Minakh'' by Sargon Gabriel. Sheykhani is in time signature and is 90-105bpm. Rhythm is similar to a

dembow Dembow is a Dominican musical genre that can be traced to a riddim that originated in Jamaican dancehall. When Shabba Ranks released " Dem Bow" in 1990, it did not take long for the dembow genre to form. Riddims were built from the song an ...

. *''Bagiye'': Evolved from Sheikhani, Bagiyeh has a move where the dancers slowly turn to face the back of the dancer in front or side of them, leisurely kick both legs in the air, then brusquely raise hands into air whilst making a sharp rotation. The dancers would turn to the right; their hands are hooked to one another by the fingers, the right arm is bent in front of the body, and the left arm is bent in behind the back. Although similar, bagiye is sluggish and more onerous than sheikhany. There is a homogeneous variant of this dance called ''Peda'' with particularised sets of songs, popularised by singer-songwriter Adwar Mousa in Syria. The dance beat has gotten popular in the late 2000s and 2010s, with songs traditionally in the ''belaty'' rhythm being incorporated into this beat. Notable song with a bagiyeh beat is ''Yalekhta'' by Linda George. Notable song affiliated with peda is ''Narineh'' by Sargon Gabriel. Bagiyeh is in time signature and is 80-95bpm. *''Georgina'': A Kurdish-inspired dance that's slow-paced and usually accompanied by

sentimental ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. ...

s (one popular song being ''Zereneh'' by Janan Sawa). The music tends have a Turkish and Kurdish flavour. Dancers hold the pinkie or little finger and move them rhythmically (akin to ''bablaka'', albeit gently). It is more common among Chaldean Assyrians. The tempo is around 70bpm-80bpm. . *''Chobi'': A modern circle dance found in Iraqi music. It is also practiced by Iraqi Assyrians. The dance is similar to ''khigga'', but it would have more pronounced leg elevation and swaying, making it more difficult. Each leg swiftly kicks to the air and repeats. Arms sway forwards and backwards. Songs may usually be in

Iraqi Arabic Mesopotamian Arabic, ( ar, لهجة بلاد ما بين النهرين) also known as Iraqi Arabic ( ar, اللهجة العراقية), or Gilit Mesopotamian Arabic (as opposed to Qeltu Mesopotamian Arabic) is a continuum of mutually intelligi ...

, but a few Assyrian songs such as ''Teela Teela'' by Evin Agassi would have this rhythm. The tempo is around 95bpm-100bpm.Subhi Anwar Rashid, The History of Musical Instruments in Old Iraq, Fig. 41 (In Arabic) *''Arabanoo'': A slow circle dance where dancers interconnect with pinkies and sway tardily around in a circle. Mostly practiced among Urmian Assyrians. It is not to confused with Georgina as this dance is slower and more serene in comparison. ''Aywateh'' by Evin Agassi utilizes this beat. Uncommon. , 52-66bpm *''Azia Tamma'': Similar to ''sheikhani'' in terms of pace, but with more steps that go forward and backwards (or reverse) a notch. Not common. , 82-88bpm

Other dances

These Assyrian folk dances are rarely danced, but they're still practiced within some tribes and/or special events: *''Akmale'' *''Azrabukeh'': , 116-126bpm *''Bet-Karkhan'' *''Beriyo'' *''Chalakhan'': , 126-132bpm *''Demale'': , 63-69bpm *''Dimdimma'': or , 72-76 (), 118-122bpm () *''Hareigooleh'': , 116-124bpm *''Hoberban'': , 130-134bpm *''Janiman'': , 60-66bpm *''Mamer'': , 122-130bpm *''Janiman'': , 60-66bpm *''Hoberban'': , 130-134bpm *''Mamyana'': , 68-74bpm *''Shapshapa'' *''Shara'': , 92-100bpm *''Sinjiyeh'' *''Zingirta'': , 120-150bpm

External links

30 Assyrian Folk Dances by Peter Pnuel BetBasoo

References

{{Circle dance Middle Eastern dances Folk dance Dance in Syria Dance in Turkey Dance in Iran Dance in Iraq Circle dances Social dance Articles containing video clips