“Kochari” in the Yard of Saint George Cathedral of Tbilisi |
On November 22, 2015, after the Sunday Divine Liturgy, the yard of Saint Gevorg Church in Tbilisi was turned into a real dance floor; the society danced the traditional Armenian “Kochari” in front of everyone. The event was initiated by the Cultural and Youth Departments at the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, headed by Levon Chidilyan and Valery Badalyan. The Counselor at the RA Embassy in Georgia, Karen Melikyan, the Second Secretary at the Armenian Embassy in Georgia, Elina Mkrtchyan, honorary members of Armenian community in Tbilisi, many faithful, guests and the representatives of other nationalities attended the event, dedicated to general performance of the traditional Armenian “Kochari”. The event was aimed at letting the world know that “Kochari” is one of the widely spread and well-preserved traditional dances in the Armenian Highlands. The "Kochari" dance is possible to be included in the UNESCO representative list of intangible cultural heritage, for which an application has been prepared and sent to the UNESCO office by the Republic of Armenia. By this event the Armenians of Tbilisi expressed their support for the motherland’s initiative. The Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan blessed the people present and highly appreciated the initiative taken by the Youth and Cultural Departments to perform a symbolizing national unity beautiful circle dance to enchanting music in the yard of reconstructed and renovated Saint Gevorg Church. Referring to the martial dance development path, the Bishop underlined the proud and belligerent spirit of the dance, which has its roots in pre-Christian era, while still retains its modernity, and is the manifestation of Armenian national identity. The Taron Dance Group at the Hayartun Center, the Ani Dance Ensemble (Choreographer Angelina Nazarian-Kochian), the Vanq Dance Ensemble (Choreographer Liana Kashavanidze) participated in the “Kochari” dance performance. All the people present, both young and old, joined the dance. |