- Tamzara
Tamzara, Tamsara or Tanzara is an Armenian, Assyrian, Turkish, Greek, Georgian, folk dance native to
Western Armenia . This dance was especially popular in the regions ofYerznga ,Erzurum ,Kghi ,Arabkir ,Kharpert , andMalatya . 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 unique9/8 Evfer 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.ee also
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Ard Mi Unim Kariye External links
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRqstpVghMM Authentic Tamzara from Historical Armenia performed by Armenian Folk Dance Society. The Armenian Folk Dance Society performed at the 1939 and 1964 World's Fair in New York.]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L_TOjztBNw Greek Tamsara,Tamzara]
* [http://hem.bredband.net/b218823/Tamzara.mp3 Armenian Davul-Zurna Tamzara (2) sample]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX6eZx9u4KQ Armenian Tamzara by Richard Hagopian, Fresno California]
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