Evolution of Dance

So one friday evening all the PCV's in Fantan were allowed to go to Yerevan with our Language teachers for an amazing experience. Were went to an outside traditional armenian dance class. There had to have been 300-400 people there, mostly around our age, just there to dance and have a good time. The teacher is a Armenian legend and brought his studio dancers with him. They were all dressed in the traditional wear and were great. We learned about 4 separate dances. They all basically require you to be in a line or a circle. And you move around in a circle. They were a lot of fun, and they have alot of fun while doing this.

They had one dance that is a Men Only Military Dance. It was great, i really wanna try and learn that while i am here. It is a lot of jumping and hand smacking. There is also a dance called "The Lord's Dance" which of course i am gonna learn also.

It was great to see the you g and old coming together. The young Armenians of 15-25 were there to learn their traditional dances, and be a part of something that their ancestors have been doing for thousands of years. Some of them even trace back to Pagan times in Armenia. This connection of National Identity and Ancestral Influences is really something to see in person. If you think about it, dance in America has evolved dramatically in the 234 years we have been a nation. WE have gone from traditional Manor House dancing, to Ballroom, Swing, Ballet, Lindy-hop, and now have such things as Clown and Krunk Dancing. However, this evolution of dance has not carried with it any historical dances that everyone knows. This is something we drop off and forget about. However, nations like Armenia not only still teach these dances, but they also still feel the connection with those individuals that created them. They dance them with National Pride and in an effort to remember those in Armenian history that danced them before and those that have fallen in the timeline. Every movement has meaning, every step has a precise reason, and every dance remembers the history of a nation. Simple things like this are a large part of the reason why Armenians, here and in Diaspora, look towards the future by looking in their past. They see the great nation that once was and believe one day the Armenia of History's Past will come to fruition again and blossom into the beautiful flower of old. And you can see that, not only in conversation but in speech, dance, work, and everyday life. Every moment for them is in remembrance of what once was and one day will be again. Maybe one day i can learn these dances well enough to bring them back to the states to show you the pride and history of a nation through dance. That is definately an easy task given how much my language teacher, Lala, dances. I hope one day you can see the Armenia of old through dance, it really is a site to see. Until Next Time...

"The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie." ~Agnes de Mille