Armenian Dance Tutorial- Gyovnd Գյովնդ

Գյովնդ ~ Gyovnd is a popular and widespread Armenian communal dance. The dance can accommodate many people who can dance together in a closed or half circle. Various communities throughout historic Armenia (most of which is currently occupied by modern day Turkey) danced gyovnd and it was used for a multitude of occasions and ritual practices.
When dancing with others, remember left over right: the littlest finger of your left hand should rest over the top of the same finger of the person to your right and so on. As you move together as a unit and work to dance in synchronicity with one another, bear down into the earth and connect with the ground below you. The zspanak~զսպանակ technique takes time, so don't rush the process! Practice to get your knees to be more supple. Move rhythmically.
Connecting to the earth and moving in a circle is a powerful way to bring forth positive energy in whatever space you are in. In Armenian symbology, the circle carries important significance: from the live-giving sun, and our sacred infinity symbol, to the tonir- where we bake bread, and much of our traditional Armenian silver jewelry...all of these important elements take the form of a circle. The circle symbolizes prosperity, wholeness, and it holds divine energy. The cyclical nature of the dance, as it moves repeatedly to the right, can bring forth a meditative quality to our daily life.
Remember that Armenian dance has always and continues to hold a purpose OFF of the performance stage. In fact, much of what we see in dominant representations of Armenian dance are actually transmuted by ballet and other eurocentric values and techniques. Dancing gyovnd and other communal dances can be a powerful way to re-connect to one another and to the world we live in. We hope you enjoy it!
Here are some great examples to support your continued practice of gyovnd:
Jora Grigoryan singing Sona Yar in Aparna, Armenia:
• Armenian folk music: S...
Singing and dancing “Kakav karin” in Yerevan with Masunq Ensemble:
• Սովորում ենք «Կաքավը ...
An example of large communal dancing taking place in Yerevan, Armenia:
• Գյովնդ, Վերվերի | ՄԵՐ ...
A gyovnd tutorial in Armenian from Karin Folk Ensemble:
• Ուս ուսի Գյոնդ
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Brought to you by Լեռնազանգ Համույթ ~ Lernazang Ensemble:
Lernazang Ensemble was founded in 2017 by dancers and musicians in Los Angeles with a creative and educational vision of realizing Armenian folk culture in diaspora. Performing in the azgagrakan idiom, Lernazang Ensemble is committed to practicing and promoting musical and choreographic forms which derive from oral traditions across various regions of the Armenian homeland. With a greater mission to decolonize Armenian aesthetics, the ensemble seeks to reconceptualize Armenian dance and music heritage outside of Sovietized, Orientalized and Eurocentric standards of practice and performance.
The ensemble runs weekly dance classes, singing lessons, and music workshops in Glendale to people of all ages, including to children as young as four years old. Lernazang designed and now instructs UCLA’s first ever Armenian Ensemble course in the Ethnomusicology department. Ultimately, Lernazang seeks to revive embodied connections to Armenian ancestral heritage in diaspora. Functioning on a grassroots level, the ensemble aims to serve the community and its youth to engage with Armenian expressive culture in invigorating and meaningful ways.

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