*1st Generation dance. A dance that developed in a traditional way – not ‘taught’ by a teacher or choreographer, but ‘learned’ by observing and imitating others in your “village”, where the village’s few dances were the only dances anyone knew. It usually is ‘generic’ – the dance pattern is fairly simple and not tied to any particular piece of music. The dance phrase may or may not match any musical phrase, but the music’s rhythm must be suitable for performing the footwork. This dance may have many variations, but they’re performed at the whim or inspiration of the leader or (sometimes) any other dancer so long as it doesn’t interfere with the flow of neighboring dancers. For more, click here, here, and here.
**a Living dance, performed in the country of origin (or immigrant communities) as part of a social event like a wedding where others can participate (not for an audience) by people who learned the dance informally (from friends and relatives by observation and imitation, not in a classroom situation).
Mom Bar means “candle dance”, and there are several of them in the Armenian world. The Mom Bar description below as taught by Tineke van Geel, was still being danced in Armenia in the ’90’s. It is the final dance of a 3-day wedding celebration. When the groom leads this dance, it’s a tacit message that the party is over.
A simpler, possibly more widespread Mom Bar.
Folkdance Footnotes 