Shalakho


Shalakho is a folk dance performed throughout all of the Caucasus. It's distinguished by its time signature and fast-paced, upbeat style.

Name

Armenian sources

  • Per Karine Hayrapetyan, from Pan-Armenian International Academy of Sciences the name Shalakho derives from Shalakhoi with the y-semi-vowel falling. She further argues, that the name is related to the Armenian totems and the Shirak Plain. Additionally, she draws a parallel between the name and the word shalax.

    Azerbaijani sources

  • Per Azerbaijani composer Afrasiyab Badalbeyli, in his Explanatory Monographic Musical Dictionary the term Shalakho derives from Shalakum, which is an elision of the phrase shala yukum.
  • Azerbaijani philologist Aliheydar Orucov, in his Explanatory Dictionary of Azerbaijani Language marks the word as a Georgian loanword.
  • According to Aynur Talıbova, in her Get Closer To Azerbaijan the name Shalakho owes its origin to the moment when clowns and entertainers in Zaqatala would put a piece of wood on an animal's back during their performance, thus alluding to a bundle of logs, then singing a song where lyrics contained multiple use of the word shala.
  • For the name Shalaqoy compare Azerbaijani phrase shalani qoy, gal doyushak, which could have influenced it.

    Georgian sources

  • In Georgian the term Kintouri is equivalent to kinto + -uri. The term is used interchangeably with Shalakho and Baghdaduri.
  • The Georgian term Baghdaduri is equivalent to baghdad + -uri. The term is used interchangeably with Shalakho and Kintouri.

    Other languages

  • Bezhta term shalakho, Hunzib term shalakho and Tsakhur term shalakho are thought to be a borrowed from Georgian.

    History

The Shalakho dance developed in the urban centers of the South Caucasus, particularly in Tiflis, which in the 19th century was an important cultural hub with a significant Armenian population active in music and dance. The city was ethnically diverse, and various communities participated in public performances and entertainment, including Shalakho performed with duduk, barrel organ, and other popular instruments.
These performances were part of popular urban entertainment, often including comedic acts and animal displays, such as bears or monkeys. The performing groups were ethnically mixed, including Romani entertainers.
In this cultural environment, Shalakho was performed by local musicians and dancers, with the majority being of Georgian and Armenian origin.

In records

The melody was first recorded and arranged for piano by the Armenian composer Nikoghayos Tigranyan in 1895 and was published later in 1900.
In 1937, Azerbaijani composer Said Rustamov would publish the notation of the Shalakho dance in his Azerbaijani Dance Melodies
Since 1938 the dance has been a part of a repertoire of Tatul Altunyan's Armenian National Song and Dance Ensemble.
The dance was performed in a 1940 Azerbaijani ballet Maiden Tower by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli. In 1942, it was performed in an Armenian ballet called Gayane by Aram Khachaturian.

Performance

In a broadly spread version, two men dance in order to win the favour of a woman. The dance can be performed by one or more dancers, men or women, in a free, Caucasian style of performance. Motions of women can be slow and lyrical. Music of the dance is rapid, which is reflected in the expansive and energetic motions of men.