Kochari

Kochari ( ; ; ; ) is an Armenian folk dance originating in the Armenian Highlands. It is performed today by Armenians, while variants are performed by Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, and Pontic Greeks. It is a form of circle dance. Each region in the Armenian Highlands had its own Kochari, with its unique way of both dancing and music.

Kochari ( ; ; ; ) is an Armenian folk dance originating in the Armenian Highlands. It is performed today by Armenians, while variants are performed by Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, and Pontic Greeks. It is a form of circle dance. Each region in the Armenian Highlands had its own Kochari, with its unique way of both dancing and music. ==Etymology== In Armenian, "Kochari" literally means "knee-come". Գուճ (gudj or goudj) means "knee" and արի (ari) means "come". In Azerbaijani Turkish, "köç" means "to move" used both as a verb and as a noun, with the latter used more in the context of nomads' travelling. "Köçəri" is also both an adjective and a noun, meaning a "nomad" and "nomadic" simultaneously. In Pontic Greek, from the Greek "κότσι" (in Pontic Greek "κοτς") meaning "heel" (from Medieval Greek "κόττιον" meaning the same) and "αίρω" meaning "raise", all together "raising the heel", since the Greeks consider the heel to be the main part of the foot which the dancer uses. ==Versions== John Blacking describes Kochari as follows: ==See also== ==Gallery== File:Armenian National Dance in Aznavour Square (1).jpg|Kochari dance in Aznavour Square File:Armenian National Dance in Aznavour Square (2).jpg|Kochari dance in Aznavour Square File:Armenian National Dance in Aznavour Square (3).jpg|Kochari dance in Aznavour Square ==References== ==External links== Kochari music - Armenian sample; Assyrian sample; Pontic sample ;Turkish sample Kochari dance - UNESCO video

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