Yarkhushta

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Yarkhushta (Armenian: Յարխուշտա (modern orthography) or Եարխուշտայ (classical/traditional orthography), pronounced [jɑɾχuʃtɑ]) is an Armenian folk and martial dance associated with the highlands of the historical region of Sasun in Western Armenia. Yarkhushta belongs to a wider category of Armenian "clap dances" (ծափ-պարեր, tsap parer). The dance is performed by men, who face each other in pairs. The key element of the dance is a forward movement where participants rapidly approach one another and vigorously clap onto the palms of hands of dancers in the opposite row. Yarkhushta is believed to have its origins in the early Middle Ages as it is mentioned in the works of Movses Khorenatsi, Faustus of Byzantium, and Grigor Magistros. Yarkhushta has traditionally been danced by Armenian soldiers before combat engagements, partly for ritualistic purposes, and partly in order to cast away fear and boost battle spirit for more effective hand-to-hand combat. The tune of the dance is played intentionally very loudly by two zurna or pku (Armenian: պկու) hornpipes and one or more double-headed bass drums, each struck with a mallet and a stick from opposite sides of the drum's cylinder. It has been demonstrated that the combination of hornpipe's high-frequency tone and the bass drums' deep, low-frequency beat create a combination of sounds with wide peak-to-peak amplitude that is capable of placing the dancers in the state of euphoric trance. This factor amplifies the effect of adrenaline/epinephrine rush that the dancing of yarkhushta usually produces. In modern-day Armenia, yarkhushta is popular in settlements populated by refugees from Sassoun after the Armenian genocide, especially in villages around the towns of Talin, Aparan, and Ashtarak.