Kochari comes from the Persian word GHOOCH, which is a type of goat. In Armenian the word is AEETS. There are a variety of Kocharis and the movements can be traced to the movements of that animal, its gait, its jumps, etc. Over the centuries, the HOVIV (shepherd) has mimicked this animal since a large part of the day he is connected with his herd. There are different styles of Kochari depending on the region. Plains areas find the Kochari to have smaller movements, more foot play; we call that VOTKEE KHAGH. Mountainous areas find the Kochari to have larger steps involving more jumps, larger leaps. Alashgerd Kochari movements are larger than Moosh movements (MSHOO KHRR). Each region finds different syncopations. Enjoy your next Kochar!

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I leave for Armenia May 22. The purpose of the trip is to set up activities for a Japanese tour group I'm organizing in July. The tour will focus on the major Armenian sites plus Armenian song and dance. My Japanese students are very familiar with Armenian song and dance because I've been going to Japan on teaching tours since 1978. The trip will also involve my work with the Karin Dance Group and Gagik Ginosyan. The dates for the Japanese tour group are July 6-13, 2017. We'll be staying at the Hyatt Hotel next to Republic Square. A lot of the Armenian activities will be spontaneous. There are a lot of restaurant with live music plus excursions will always find villagers playing music. Yerevan has many outdoor theaters and the ...