Birilyant is a folk dance from Azerbaijan and is also referred to as “Brilliant”. This traditional dance from the South Caucasus region has two versions of this dance i.e. one performed only by men and the other only by women. In addition, this dance also involves use of extremely melodious music.
A. History/origin of Birilyant dance:
According to the cultural history of Azerbaijan, two versions (i.e. one male and the other female) for this dance style were basically created. Furthermore, one version of this dance was developed in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan in between 1920 and 1922.
B. Costumes used in the Birilyant 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 Birilyant:
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 Birilyant:
In terms of technique, this dance comprises of melodious music and a slow rhythm. Furthermore, this dance consists of two versions one performed by males and other by female. As for training centers/schools, there are none available around the world since this “traditional” dance is performed mainly in Greece.