Armenian immigrants from Diyarbekir/Tigranakert who came to the United States sang the song “Shushan” and danced the accompanying dance. Shushan is a female Armenian name. The nature of the performance is as follows: the dancers join their flexible fingers and turn in an open circle, with the dance leader taking a seat on the right. The direction of the dance movement is from front to back.
The music is in 4/4 time.
Currently, in Tigranakert, the six-dimensional Shushan dance is also danced, which is related to the “Shushan” dance. “Shushan” is usually followed by the “Halay” dance of Tigranakert. There are many variations of Halay in different regions. Halai/Hale is associated with the Kochari dance, which is common among the Armenians of Western Armenia. Halai was historically a male-dominated dance with strong, heavy movements, but today it is danced in mixed ranks. The music is in 4/4 time. The “Halay” dance of Lije is named after the town of Lije located northeast of Tigranakert. The specialty of this Halay dance is that the hands are placed on the back around the waist and danced in an open circle or in a row.
