Mesjog gur
(Armenia)

[Full notes] [Summary notes] [Other dances & the source code]

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.
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.

Introduction

Summary: 8 bars.

Start after 8 bars.

Part A

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.
1
1 Bounce down & up by flexing & straightening knees with feet together flat on the floor.
2 Repeat count 1 but at double speed (quick down-up bounce).
& Repeat count 2 (quick down-up bounce).
2
1 As bar 1 count 1 (slow down-up bounce).
2 Repeat count 1 (the down part of a slow bounce, i.e. bend knees).
& Lift R leg sharply behind whilst straightening the supporting L knee. The lift is staccato and is as far up behind as will go whilst keeping the knees together.
3-4 Repeat bars 1-2 in mirror image (bounce down-up slow, quick x 2, slow & lift L foot behind).
5
1
Feet L forward.
Torso Turn so chest faces 45 deg cw of the direction to the centre of the circle. Lean forwards & to the L but keep the upper torso vertical (i.e. move the upper torso forwards & L relative to the hips). Shoulder Shimmy whilst doing so.
Head Remains upright facing the centre of the circle.
2 Remain in place raising R foot slightly to emphasise the following step in place.
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.)

Part B

Summary: (L across infront with arms L. R side with arms R.) x 4

Start Facing the centre.
1
1
Feet L across infront.
Arms L arm straight horizontally to the L crossing infront of the dancer on ones left. R hand is positioned where it has to be hold the L hand of dancer on ones R and R elbow is as shoulder height.
2 With the weight on the L foot, do small staccato bounce down & up by flexing & straightening knees slightly.
2
1
Feet R to the side.
Arms Mirror arm position of bar 1 (R arm straight horizontally to the R).
2 With the weight on the R foot, do small staccato bounce down & up by flexing & straightening knees slightly.

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.

Part C

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.
1 As Part A bar 1 (bounce down-up slow, quick x 2).
2
1-2 As bar 2 counts 1-2 (slow down-up bounce, quick down bounce).
& Lift L leg infront to upper leg horizontal & lower leg vertically down whilst straightening the supporting R knee.
3
1
Arms Horizontally out infront from the shoulder with straight elbows. Move into this position sharply.
Body Face 45 deg cw of the direction to the centre of the circle.
Feet Straighten L knee whilst lowering L upper leg at the hip so the leg is straight and about 30 deg up infront from vertically down.
& Touch L heel to ground infront (which is 45 deg acw of the direction to the centre of the circle) without weight transfer with straight L knee & with foot at 90 deg to the leg by bending R knee.
2-2& Repeat counts 1-1& (arms stay up, straighten R knee, then touch L heel to ground infront by bending R knee) but facing the centre of the circle.
4
1-1& Repeat bar 3 counts 1-1& (arms stay up, straighten R knee, then touch L heel to ground infront by bending R knee) but facing 45 deg cw of the direction to the centre of the circle.
2 Repeat count 1 (arms stay up, straighten R knee) but facing cw around the circle.
&
Arms Move sharply to vertically down to by sides with straight elbows.
Feet L close onto flat foot by means of a small leap whilst lifting R leg so that R foot is beside L knee.
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.