Genre | Folk dance |
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Origin | Caucasus |
Shalakho (Armenian: շալախո, Azerbaijani: Şalaxo, Georgian: შალახო or კინტოური) is a dance famous throughout all of Caucasus.[1]
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.[2]
The dance melody was first recorded and arranged for piano by the Armenian composer Nikoghayos Tigranyan in 1895.[3]
The dance was performed in a 1940 Azerbaijani ballet Maiden Tower by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli.[4] In 1942, it was performed in an Armenian ballet called Gayane by Aram Khachaturian.[5]