Alternative Names |
'Mesjog gur' is a transcription in Dutch by Tineke. (The 'g's are pronounced like the 'ch' in 'loch'.) 'Mesyokh khur' is an English transcription. 'Mesyoh hur' is an alternative English transcription. |
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Formation | Line (or open circle). Little-fingers close V-hold. |
Dance Structure | (A + B x 4 + C) repeated throughout the music. |
Music Structure | 2 counts/bar, 4 bars/phrase. |
Music Speed | 110 counts/min. |
Translation | 'Mesjog' means 'from Moush' (Moush is a city in the Daron region of former West Armenia). 'Gur' means 'to pull'. |
Source | Tineke van Geel at her Armenian course in Brecon, 2005. Tineke got it from Artushat Karapetian of the Pedagogic Institute, Yerevan in 1988. |
Disclaimer: Mistakes are quite likely in the notes and no guarantees are made as to accuracy. There may be other versions of the same dance or other dances with the same name. Music may differ, particularly in speed, introduction and duration, between performers. The division into parts, bars & counts might not be standard. These notes of the dance are freely distributable (under GPL or CC-by-sa) in so much as the note's author's contribution but the choreography and/or collection were by other people and so their copyright might apply to the dance itself. Better than using notes, go to a dance class where it is taught by Tineke van Geel.
A sharp crisp Armenian dance.
To me the music sounds as if it has 4 counts per bar (i.e. "1 2 3 4") but Tineke counted as 2 counts per bar (i.e. "1 & 2 &") so I have used Tineke's 2 count numbering for this dance description. The music (on the Anoush album (Van Geel Records 98/07)) changes after 3 times through the dance sequence for the last 2 times but the dance remains the same.
Style: Staccato, upright, brisk, proud. Bounces up & down are sharp but small in amplitude.
Summary: 8 bars.
Start after 8 bars.
Summary: Bounce down slow, quick x 2, slow, lift R behind. Mirror. With L to centre, shimmy L, R, L, R.
Start | Facing the centre. V-hold. | ||||||||||
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1 |
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2 |
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3-4 | Repeat bars 1-2 in mirror image (bounce down-up slow, quick x 2, slow & lift L foot behind). | ||||||||||
5 |
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6 | Repeat bar 5 but on the opposite feet & leaning out (R in place returning torso back to straight (relatively it feels like leaning out) with a Shoulder Shimmy, raise L foot in place) facing the same direction (head facing in & torso facing 45 deg acw of the direction to the centre of the circle). | ||||||||||
7-8 | Repeat bars 5-6 (Shimmy in & out) but (because it is already there) the L forward is becomes a L in place. |
I might be wrong about the quick bounces (bars 1 & 3 counts 2-2&) being down-up (bending & straightening knees). They might be up-down (raising & lowering heels). I forgot which they were & both feel fitting. (Unfortunately Tineke's written notes don't specify either. I will need to check the video of the workshop sometime.)
Summary: (L across infront with arms L. R side with arms R.) x 4
Start | Facing the centre. | ||||||||
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1 |
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2 |
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The transition between the 2 arm positions is "horizontal windscreen wipers", i.e. moving in horizontal plane with each arm straight elbowed other than when it is crossing infront of ones own body.
Summary: Part A bars 1-2 but lift L infront. Turning acw L touch x 3, L leap. Mirror all ending in place with feet closed.
Start | Facing the centre. V-hold. | ||||||||||||
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1 | As Part A bar 1 (bounce down-up slow, quick x 2). | ||||||||||||
2 |
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3 |
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4 |
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5-8 | Repeat bars 1-4 in mirror image & turning the other (cw) direction (bounce down-up slow, quick x 2 & slow, R lift infront, touch R heel to ground infront whilst flexing L knee down-up 3 times whilst turning cw (facing cw around the circle, 45 deg cw of the direction to the centre of the circle, the centre of the circle)) but change ending (bar 8 count 2&) to end (facing the centre of the circle) with feet together flat on the ground ready for the next Part A. |