Shalakho

Not to be confused with Shalako, a Native American harvest festival.

Shalakho (/ʃæləˈkoʊ/ sha-luh-KHAW)^[a] is a folk dance performed throughout all of the Caucasus. It's distinguished by its ⁶
₈ time signature and fast-paced, upbeat style.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]}

Shalakho

Shalakho dance performed by an Armenian dance ensemble "Masis", based in Argentina
Native name	Armenian: շալախո or շալախոյ Azerbaijani: Şalaxo, Şələxo, Şələqoy or Şələküm Bezhta: Шалахо Georgian: შალახო, კინტოური or ბაღდადური Hunzib: Шалахо Tsakhur: Шалахо
Etymology	Unknown
Genre	Folk dance
Time signature	6 8
Tempo	allegro, allegro moderato
Instrument(s)	barrel organ, clarinet, accordion, garmon, duduk, balaban, zurna
Inventor	South Caucasus
Origin	Caucasus

Name

Armenian sources

• Per Karine Hayrapetyan, from Pan-Armenian International Academy of Sciences the name Shalakho (Armenian: շալախո) derives from Shalakhoi (Armenian: Շալախոյ) with the y-semi-vowel falling. She further links it to the Armenian totems and the Shirak Plain.^[12] Additionally, she draws a parallel between the name and the word shalax (Armenian: շալախ, lit. 'apricot, precocious').^[12]

Azerbaijani sources

• Per Azerbaijani composer Afrasiyab Badalbeyli, in his Explanatory Monographic Musical Dictionary (Azerbaijani: İzahlı Monoqrafik musiqi lüğəti) the term Shalakho derives from Shalakum (Azerbaijani: Şələküm), which is an elision of the phrase shala yukum (Azerbaijani: şələ yüküm, lit. '(my) heavy load').^[5]
• Azerbaijani philologist Aliheydar Orucov, in his Explanatory Dictionary of Azerbaijani Language (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Dilinin İzahlı Lüğəti) marks the word as a Georgian loanword.^[4]
• According to Aynur Talıbova, in her Get Closer To Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycana daha yaxın olaq) 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 (Azerbaijani: şələ, lit. 'a burden, load').^[6]
• For the name Shalaqoy (Azerbaijani: Şələqoy) compare Azerbaijani phrase shalani qoy, gal doyushak (Azerbaijani: şələni qoy, gəl döyüşək, lit. 'put your burden, let's fight'), which could have influenced it.^[13]

Georgian sources

• In Georgian the term Kintouri (Georgian: კინტოური, romanized: K'int'ouri, lit. 'Kintoian') is equivalent to kinto (Georgian: კინტო, romanized: K'int'o, lit. 'kinto, the entertainers who lived in Tbilisi') + -uri (Georgian: ური, romanized: -uri, lit. '-ian'). The term is used interchangeably with Shalakho (Georgian: შალახო, romanized: Shalakho) and Baghdaduri (Georgian: ბაღდადური, romanized: baghdaduri, lit. 'Baghdadian').^[7][9]
• The Georgian term Baghdaduri (Georgian: ბაღდადური, romanized: baghdaduri, lit. 'Headscarfian') is equivalent to baghdad (Georgian: ბაღდად, romanized: baghdad, lit. 'headscarf') + -uri (Georgian: ური, romanized: -uri, lit. '-ian'). The term is used interchangeably with Shalakho (Georgian: შალახო, romanized: Shalakho) and Kintouri (Georgian: კინტოური, romanized: K'int'ouri, lit. 'Kintoian').^[7][8]

Other languages

• Bezhta term shalakho (Bezhta: шалахо, romanized: šalaxo), Hunzib term shalakho (Hunzib: шалахо, romanized: šalaxo) and Tsakhur term shalakho (Tsakhur: шалахо, romanized: shalakho) are thought to be a borrowed from Georgian.^[10][11]

History

Origin and popularity

See also: Kinto

"Shalakho" performed by Azerbaijani dancer Khanlar Bashirov

Early history of the Shalakho dance developed in urbanic spaces^[6] and is associated with entertainers and clowns which would travel through cities and villages in the Caucasus (some of which were mainly staying in Tbilisi) and perform this dance to the accompaniment of duduk and barrel organ.^[14] Additionally, they would bring animals for the performances, e.g. bears or monkeys.^[5][6] These performers were not necessarily of Georgian origin, as some were of Romani origin, too.^[6]

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.^[15]

In 1937, Azerbaijani composer Said Rustamov would publish the notation of the Shalakho dance in his Azerbaijani Dance Melodies^[16]

Since 1938 the dance has been a part of a repertoire of Tatul Altunyan's Armenian National Song and Dance Ensemble (Armenian: Հայկական ժողովրդական երգի-պարի անսամբլ, romanized: Haykakan zhoghovrdakan yergi-pari ansambl).^[15]

The dance was performed in a 1940 Azerbaijani ballet Maiden Tower (Azerbaijani: Qız Qalası) by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli.^[17] In 1942, it was performed in an Armenian ballet called Gayane (Armenian: Գայանե, romanized: Gayane) by Aram Khachaturian.^[18]

• Music Notations
• 
  Notation of the dance from Said Rustamov's «Azerbaijani Dance Melodies» (Baku, 1937)
• 
  Notation of the dance in Tatul Altunyan's «Armenian folk dances and melodies» (Yerevan, 1958)
• 
  Notation of the dance from «Azerbaijani Folk Dances» (Baku, 2002)

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.^[1]

See also

• Lezginka, a collective name for Caucasian dances.
• Uzundara, a dance performed by Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
• Kochari, a dance performed by Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Georgians.