Tamzara
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Tamzara is an Armenian folk dance native to Western Armenia (present day Eastern Turkey.) This dance was especially popular in the regions of Yerznga, Erzurum, Kghi, Arabkir, Kharpert, and Malatya. There are many versions of Tamzara, with slightly different music and steps, coming from the various regions and old Armenian villages. However, all Tamzara's have the unique 9/8 rhythm, with the two accented beats at the end of each measure. In addition, the melody to most Tamzara's is very similar, though there are exceptions. Like most Armenian folk dances, Tamzara is done as a "line dance" or "circle dance" (shourch bar), with a large group of people with interlocked pinkies. However one version of the Tamzara is done by a man with one or two women standing shoulder to shoulder facing the same direction with their arms around each others waists.
An Armenian-American variation of the Tamzara, invented in Fresno, California, involves two lines of people facing each other, partners being the people opposite each other. Tamzara is one of the most popular Armenian folk dances to have been preserved in the United States by the Armenian-American community.
[edit] External Links
- Armenian Davul-Zurna Tamzara (2) sample
- video of Traditional Tamzara Dance with musical accompaniment on Oud, Clarinet, Dumbeg, and Accordion
- video of Tamzara played by the great oudist John Berberian, also clarinet, dumbeg, and guitar accompaniment at Armenian-American summer camp
- video of people dancing the Armenian-American version of the Tamzara to CD accompaniment
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