The Berd dance

Berd is a distinctive Armenian dance whose name means “fortress”. The main moment of the dance lasts only a few seconds, but it is worth seeing. It is usually danced in 2 tiers, but sometimes a “three-storey” fortress of dancers can also be seen.

According to the source, the dance goes back to pre-Christian times, to games called “gmbetakhagh” (“the dome game”), which were widespread in the Vaspurakan province of historical Armenia. Berd is a sacred defensive dance that was performed once a year, after the harvest.

In the photograph the dancers on stage have formed a 2-tier “fortress”. Below are young men in dark red costumes, and standing on their shoulders are 8 young men in black costumes with gold ornaments.