Tribe.net. Local Connections Katya http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/2dd3a495-92d6-43d5-b69c-b9f7c80097c0#59d5fdcd-b0d0-460a-a97b-f64c0c9ef9bd 2007-05-17T20:47:11Z 2007-05-17T20:47:11Z

Laz is Armenian style line dancing. It's an Armenian word.

Katya 2007-05-17T20:47:11Z Fionnghuala http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/2dd3a495-92d6-43d5-b69c-b9f7c80097c0#fc51ae7a-12cb-4cd7-870c-c308fd7a8c6f 2007-05-14T11:58:20Z 2007-05-14T11:58:20Z

Hmmmm.... The steps I was given by Valizan (and what I remember being taught in the flesh) were a tad more "involved"; otherwise, yeah. That looks about right.

Fionnghuala 2007-05-14T11:58:20Z Heyamo http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/2dd3a495-92d6-43d5-b69c-b9f7c80097c0#53f99a74-2277-4d9e-83f9-1317d627121d 2007-05-13T07:18:54Z 2007-05-13T07:18:54Z

Sorry, please try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnEfCfTYC8o

Heyamo 2007-05-13T07:18:54Z Fionnghuala http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/2dd3a495-92d6-43d5-b69c-b9f7c80097c0#1e6f3e6e-a70a-4da5-9140-5c08f4bede99 2007-05-13T03:31:46Z 2007-05-13T03:31:46Z

Hmmm...link is not working. :(

Fionnghuala 2007-05-13T03:31:46Z Heyamo http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/2dd3a495-92d6-43d5-b69c-b9f7c80097c0#600685b3-9d05-473e-a11a-d7ded629270d 2007-05-13T00:48:37Z 2007-05-13T00:48:37Z

I think the main dance of both the Laz and the Hemsin people is the Horon. You can see it performed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnEfCfTYC8o. Both the Laz and the Hemsin are ethnic minorities that live in the eastern Black Sea (Karadeniz) region of Turkey.

Heyamo 2007-05-13T00:48:37Z Fionnghuala http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/2dd3a495-92d6-43d5-b69c-b9f7c80097c0#8156119b-f909-4d66-a349-c2ede8709ac0 2007-05-11T14:46:01Z 2007-05-11T14:46:01Z

No, no, no. :) It's a pretty laid-back and friendly event (especially by the time the drums come out! Heh.) No, this is mainly for my edification. These different dances which have "Laz" in the title may be the same, or may be variations on a theme (say, different because they're being interpreted by foreigners). Or they might just be named after the Laz rhythm. Or a combination thereof. Bottom line: I remember it being fun and easy to pick up. Even non-bellydancers were getting into it. And done outdoors, we could get a REALLY wicked serpentine going across the event site! FWIW, there's some interesting feedback coming from the cross-post I made to Livejournal bellydance community: http://community.livejournal.com/bellydancing/1861948.html

Fionnghuala 2007-05-11T14:46:01Z Latifa http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/2dd3a495-92d6-43d5-b69c-b9f7c80097c0#d9e9eceb-c335-4103-9652-987d54ca4566 2007-05-11T14:18:04Z 2007-05-11T14:18:04Z

When I was in an Armenian dance troupe, we did a dance called "Laz." What's your concern? That the "SCA police" might call you on it? ;-)

Latifa 2007-05-11T14:18:04Z Fionnghuala http://bellydancenation.tribe.net/thread/2dd3a495-92d6-43d5-b69c-b9f7c80097c0#459c4932-d166-4d42-8278-2edce2943b21 2007-05-11T12:23:24Z 2007-05-11T12:23:24Z

Memorial Day weekend, I'll be attending an SCA event that, while not "strictly" a hafla type of affair, will probably feature drum-and-dance circles. There's a line-dance which a friend of mine taught at a hafla once, which seemed like it would be easy to teach, possibly even getting non-dancers involved. He stated that it's referred to as "Laz", and outlined the choreography. Now. Would this be the same one that's known as the "Laz Bar", or "Laz Dance of the Black Sea"? I always get cautious when a nationality is incorporated in a dance or a song title, as it implies that it's the definitive "whatever" for that region — when in reality there's surely more than one! So, what dances/ dance steps do you know of, that also bear the "Laz" tag? Or is there only one Laz dance that got popular outside of the Black Sea region?

Fionnghuala 2007-05-11T12:23:24Z