Yarkhushta

Yarkhushta is an Armenian martial dance that was performed only by men in the province of Sasun in Western Armenia. According to one etymology, the word “yarkhushta” means “comrade in arms”. In ancient times soldiers danced it before battle. The dance looks like a fight between 2 warriors who attack each other in turn. Yarkhushta has been known since the Middle Ages and is mentioned in the works of Armenian historians, for example Movses Khorenatsi, a 5th-century historian.

In the foreground of the painting 2 men dance with their arms above their heads and daggers at their belts. Behind them stand women and men in traditional dress, musicians play a drum and a wind instrument, and a church rises in the distance. The year 2012 is written in the corner of the painting.