Alcha Gulu is a dance from Azerbaijan which literally means “Plum flower”. This traditional South Caucasus region dance form is said to have originated from a city called Shaki located in Azerbaijan. Furthermore, this dance is said to possess an extremely fast “tempo”.
A. History/origin of the Alcha Gulu dance:
According to the cultural history of Azerbaijan, this dance style was first created in between 1910 and 1920 in close proximity to the city of Shaki located in the country. Furthermore, it was basically developed by Ali Karimov in a village called Kalva.
B. Costumes used in the Alcha Gulu dance:
Traditional Azerbaijani costumes are used by the male and female performers respectively. They are as follows:
1. For men:
The attire worn includes a colourful long jacket, a trouser, and pair of shoes.
2. For women:
The attire worn includes a colourful dress that includes a skirt, a colourful overcoat, and an elaborate headgear.
C. Music involved in the Alcha Gulu dance:
Traditional Azerbaijani musical instruments such as tar i.e. a skin faced lute, a kamancha i.e. a skin faced spike fiddle, the saz i.e. a long lute, tutek i.e. whistle flute, daf i.e. frame drum etc are used in this dance style.
D. Training availability and technique involved in the Alcha Gulu dance:
In terms of technique, the performers in this style of dancing perform to fast tempo. As for training centers/schools, there are none available around the world since this “traditional” dance is mainly performed in Azerbaijan.