Shoror (Komitas)

This unique version of the “Shoror” dance is one of the eight dances recorded by the great Armenian musicologist and folklore collector Komitas Vardapet (Soghomon Soghomonyan). It was presumably recorded in 1899 and was restored and returned to the public by choreographer Gagik Ginosyan in 2008.
Unfortunately, Komitas’ records do not provide information about the individuals who demonstrated the dance. Most likely, the dance was documented during a ritual, where several individuals could simultaneously act as performers.

According to some researchers, the word shororvel (to sway, move gently) is linked to the word ororvel (to cradle), and they can be considered synonyms (“to cradle – to sway”). Additionally, it is viewed as a transliteration of the bird name sororik, which highlights the dance’s connection to birds worship. The dance movements mimic the flirtatious behavior of birds, their turns, and steps, resembling the “chirping” and strutting of birds.
Today, the dance has gained popularity under the name “Komitas’ Shoror” to distinguish it from other versions of the “Shoror” dance, emphasizing that it was specifically documented by Komitas.

Komitas’ notes include one remark accompanying the musical part of this dance: “they dance it at night during weddings when the bride has already been brought to the groom’s house.” This indicates that by the time of its documentation, the dance had already lost its original meaning related to birds worship, the characteristic of the “Shoror” dance type, and had become part of a wedding ritual.

The dance consists of a single section performed at a middle tempo, between slow and moderately fast, described by Komitas as “with enthusiasm.” The dance is clearly divided into two parts:
First part – “forward and back”
Second part – “right and left”

In the first part, the steps move forward, then backward and to the left simultaneously, ending with the body shifting two steps to the left. At the end of the second part, the body returns to the starting position, as the steps to the right and left are performed along the same line, maintaining the original position through two right and two left steps.