Kochari (L*), Qochari, Kocharee, (Քոչարի), K’očari, Köçəri, Kόtsari (Κότσαρι), Koçerî‎, Koçari, Koçarî – Eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus

*a Living dance is a 1st Generation dance that is still performed in the country of origin (or immigrant communities) as part of a social event like a wedding where others 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). For more information, click here and here.

OVERVIEW

Kochari is one of the most ubiquitous dances of Eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus (except Georgia). Kochari (Armenian: Քոչարի, romanized: K’očari, Azerbaijani: Köçəri, Greek: Κότσαρι, Kόtsari romanized, Kurdish: Koçerî‎, Turkish: Koçari, Yazidi: Koçarî)) is a 1000 year-old family of folk dances originating in the Armenian Highlands. It is performed today by Armenians, Assyrians, Yazidis, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Pontic Greeks, and Turks….Each region in the Armenian Highlands had its own Kochari, with its unique way of both dancing and music. Yalli, Khigga, and Halay, dances common to Azerbaijanis, Assyrians, and Kurds, have different forms known as Kochari. Below I list these cultures in alphabetical order, and their relationship to the dance.

Meaning of the name

• Wikipedia quotes Cholakean, Hakob (2016). Ավանդական ուղղագրություն. Yerevan: “In Armenian, Kochari literally means “knee-come”. Գուճ (gudj or goudj) means “knee” and արի (ari) means “come”
• The YouTube below cites another Armenian ethnologist who says “Kochar word is composed of KOCH (roar, male ram) ոյ ARI (Aryan, heroic) roots”.
• The Pontic Greek term for limp is ‘kotso’ and the Pontic Greek kochari is considered to contain a number of limps.*
• In many Turkic languages, Kochari means “nomad” (Köçəri (Azeri), Gochar, Goçede).*
• In Kurdish [Kurmanji, DB], the word for nomads is Koçer, thus the name Koçerî makes it “Nomadic” (Nomadic dance).*

ARMENIAN; Kochari, Qochari, Kocharee, K’očari, (Քոչարի),

Whatever the root words mean, all are in agreement that Kochari is the dance most widespread and fundamental to Armenian identity. It has been added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

There are MANY varieties of Kochari. However, the most basic form involves 8 slow beats; a pair of ‘knee dips’ (4 beats), and 4 walking steps (4 beats). Both these ‘teaching’ YouTubes start with the dips, but others start with the walks. Once you’re started, it doesn’t matter!

VARIETIES

ALASHKERTI

KARNO

SGHERDI, SXERDI,

BULANEKH, BULANIK

MSHOOKHRR,

MSHO

Axhkti Kochari

Etc.

Finally, an example of Kochari‘s hold on the Armenian psyche.

A sample of the lyrics, Google translated:

To us from the depths of the centuries
Our grandfathers dance
They dance so much that they move
Mountain, stone these dances
Our grandfathers and our dances
They create a basis for living
The thread of the solid moment of the past
There is your gene in that dance
The movements are as sublime as a shoulder to shoulder lion
Hold your shoulders firmly and the ground firmly
Hit your feet
Our grandfathers and our dances
They create a basis for living
The thread of the solid moment of the past
There is your gene in this dance
From the Reichstag to our grandfathers Mush and Van
Join and forget everything
Shout the words of your heart
To be strong and always strong
Like your dance and grandparents
The thread of the solid moment of the past
There is your gene in this dance 

Give me your hand, we are the winner
My soul sings the song of the mountains
Give me your hand, shout guys
This dance is a weapon, de kochari dance

There are more, and similar.

ASSYRIAN; Kochari

I could find very few YouTubes called Assyrian Kochari. It seems to be a relatively minor dance in the Assyrian repertoire.

On Assyrian Kochari Wikipedia says: “Kochari: The notable attribute of this dance is that the participants are connected by arms-on-arms [shoulder hold, akin to dabke-DB]. Each leg makes a kick in a repetitive manner. Common among Assyrians in Syria. Very rare among other Assyrians. 110-120bpm

Below is a 4×2-beat Kochari with a different arm position. It is more similar to the Armenian Kochari, with similar weight changes.

AZERBAIJANI; Köçəri

Köçəri is considered a major dance of the Azerbaijanis, at least in some regions, though I couldn’t find many examples of Azeris dancing it on social (not performance) occasions.

GREEK, PONTUS; Κότσαρι,Kόtsari

For more about Pontus and Pontic Greeks, click here

In Pontic Greek, the ‘kotsi’ refers to the heel of the foot and the Greeks consider the heel to be the main part of the foot which the dancer uses. The Pontic Greek term for limp is ‘kotso’ and the Pontic Greek kochari is considered to contain a number of limps.

Yvonne Hunt, in Traditional Dance in Greek Culture (1996), had this this to say about Kόtsari: “Another popular dance is Kótsari or Kóchari, originally from the Kars area. It is performed with hands on the neighbors’ shoulders to music of 2/4 rhythm. In its simplest form it resembles hassaposerviko [Taproot T-6-DB] with an added measure. The footwork to the right in the first two measures is morrored to the left in the remaining two measures. Since the steps to the left are done virtually in place, there is very little movement in that direction. The music is accented on every fourth beat which fits the dance phrase exactly. Kótsari is one of the Pontic dances with several variations. Sometimes these variations are called out by the dancer at the right end of the line, other times it is a matter of individual preference. Kirkpatric has some worthwhile comments about the variations and style of this dance. “The length of the step is approximately four to eight inches and the feet never lift off the ground more than two to four inches except during a few of the more vigorous variations.” These “…may be performed by one or more dancers in the line without disrupting the basic pattern being danced by others in the line. It is difficult to know how traditional some of the variations are now, since many different figures have admittedly been choreographed for the stage.”

KURDS; Koçerî

For more about the Kurds, click here.

In Kurdish, the word for nomads is Koçer, thus the name Koçerî makes it “Nomadic” (Nomadic dance). However the dance itself is anything but nomadic. It hardly moves. It is the Armenian basic Kochari, but the 4 walking steps are often in place, sometimes “in the shoes”, when they can be seen at all. It’s obviously popular among the Kurds. There are countless YouTubes like these below, a few of a different variety.

SYRIAN, IRAQI KURDS

This is a different Kochari. 1st two YouTubes label it dawat Kochari. Different, slower rhythms, anyway. Footwork appears to be a Taproot T-6. I’m labeling it Syrian & Iraqi due to the Arabic lettering in the titles.

TURKS; Koçerî,

Although Turks do Koçerî, it doesn’t hold the special place in the repertoire that it does among Armenians, Kurds, Azeris, or Pontic Greeks.

YEZIDI; KOÇARî

For more about the Yazidi, click here.