Qaytarma
 Qaytarma as depicted on a 2015 stamp of Ukraine | |
| Genre | Folk dance |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Crimean Tatars or Sephardic Jews |
| Year | Before 1793 |
| Origin | Sufi whirling (Possibly; see History) |
Qaytarma (lit. 'Returning'; also written as Haytarma[1]) is a form of Crimean Tatar folk dance and folk music characterised by cyclical motion. It is most commonly performed at weddings and on holidays.[2]
Description
[edit]During Qaytarma, a male dancer holds his arms apart and forms fists, making short, provocative movements with small jumps. His dancing partner, usually a woman, acts without sharp movements. Instead, she performs exact movements of her legs and shoulders, making smooth, rotational hand movements.[3] According to other studies, among them those conducted by Yaya Şerfedinov, only women should participate in Qaytarma, or, if men participate, they should do so separately from women.[4]
In addition to Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks, Crimean Karaites,[5] Urums, and Ukrainian Greeks also dance Qaytarma.[6] According to researcher Serhiy Zaichenko, Qaytarma music is typically in 9/8 or 7/8 time, which is common of Turkic music.[7]
History
[edit]The exact origins of Qaytarma remain uncertain, but two theories are dominant. The first, proposed by Anatolii Bohorod, suggests that it originates from Sufi whirling.[8] The second theory claims that the dance originated with the arrival of Sephardic Jews in Crimea following their expulsion from the Iberian Peninsula through the Crimean Roma. Qaytarma was first mentioned in 1793.[9][10]
In a 1925 archaeological and ethnographic expedition of Crimea, Crimean Tatar researchers Usein Bodaninsky, Osman Aqçoqraqlı, and Asan Refatov recorded 25 different versions of Qaytarma. Refatov further concluded in 1932 that Qaytarma was unique to the Crimean Tatars, without influence from Russian, Turkish, or Iranian culture.[11] In Zaichenko's 1995 study of Greek Ukrainian dances, he recorded further variations of Qaytarma practiced in the south-eastern Pryazovia region.[7]
In popular culture
[edit]The first written piece of Qaytarma music was created by Alexander Spendiaryan in 1903 during his stay in Bilohirsk (then known as Karasubazar) as part of his Crimean Sketches symphony.[12] Unlike most authentic pieces, Spendiaryan's Khaytarma (Russian: Хайтарма) is in 3/8 time.[9]
In the 1930s, Ennan Alimov painted a piece about Qaytarma, titled Girl Dancing Qaytarma.[13]
The Qaytarma ensemble was established in 1939 as part of the Crimean State Philharmonic.
Crimean Tatar director Akhtem Seitablayev has referenced Qaytarma multiple times, most notable as the title and opening sequence of his 2013 film Haytarma.[14] On Tantsi z zirkamy, he performed the dance alongside dancer Olena Shoptenko.[15]
Elements of Qaytarma and Tım-tım, another Crimean Tatar folk dance, were incorporated into the music video for the song 1944.[16]
In 2015, Ukrposhta issued a stamp depicting Qaytarma as part of its Crimean Tatar stamp series.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Pride of the nation: Crimean Tatar folk dance". Voice of Crimea. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Весілля в Криму по-кримськотатарськи (фотогалерея)" [Crimean Tatar Wedding in Crimea (Photo gallery)]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Ukrainian). 12 December 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Oleinyk, M. A. Народная хореографическая культура крымских татар [Folk Choreographic Culture of Crimean Tatars] (in Russian). Simferopol: Crimean Federal University. pp. 87–89.
- ^ Şerfedinov, Yaya (1978). Звучит кайтарма [The Sound of Qaytarma] (in Russian). Tashkent: Gʻafur Gʻulom Publishing House. p. 181.
- ^ "Кіевъ" [Kyiv] (PDF). Karaite Life (in Russian). Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Нацменшини на лінії розмежування: греки Приазов'я" [National minorities on the dividing line: the Pryazovia Greeks]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ a b Altynkaynak, Erdogan (2003). "Музыкально-танцевальное искусство греков Приазовья, как источник изучения этнической истории" [Musical and dance art of the Pryazovia Greeks as a source of ethnic historical study]. Cultures of the Pontic Peoples (in Russian) (46): 198–201.
- ^ Bohorod, Anatolii (2015). "Танцювальні ритуали і практики мусульман: релігієзнавчий аспект" [Dance Rituals and Practices of Muslims: the Religious Aspect]. Gilea: Scientific Bulletin (in Ukrainian) (103): 227–232.
- ^ a b Kazachenko, B. N.; Bakshi, N. Yu.; Achikinadze, A. L. "Музыкально-поэтическое наследие крымчаков" [Musical and Poetic Heritage of the Krymchaks]. Art Criticism (in Russian) – via Cyberleninka.
- ^ Святыни и проблемы сохранения этнокультуры крымских караимов-караев [Sanctuaries and problems of preserving the ethnic culture of the Crimean Karaites-Karaim] (in Russian). 2008. p. 15.
- ^ Babiy, A. N. (2004). "Крымскотатарский народный танец в фольклорно-этнографических исследованиях 20-30-х гг. ХХ ст" [Crimean Tatar folk dance in folklore and ethnographic studies of the 1920-1930s]. Cultures of the Pontic Peoples (in Russian) (51): 75–78.
- ^ "Крымские напевы Александра Спендиарова" [Alexander Spendiaryan's Crimean Sketches]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Russian). 1 November 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Первый директор Крымского художественного училища" [The First Director of the Crimean Art School]. Milliy Fırqa (in Russian). 25 September 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "В Днепропетровске презентовали сканадальный фильм о депортации татар из Крыма" [Scandalous film about deportation of Tatars from Crimea screened in Dnipropetrovsk]. 34 (in Russian). 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020.
- ^ Barna, Nataliya (17 December 2017). "VIVA! САМЫЕ КРАСИВЫЕ-2018: ЗВЕЗДЫ ТАНЦЕВ СО ЗВЕЗДАМИ ПОПАЛИ В НОМИНАЦИИ" [Viva! 2018's most beautiful: Stars of "Dancing with the Stars" nominated]. Viva (in Russian). Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Евровидение 2016: украинские музыканты сыграли песню Джамалы на этнических инструментах" [Eurovision: Ukrainian musicians perform Jamala's song on ethnic instruments]. Telenedelia (in Russian). 12 May 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ ""УКРПОШТА" ПРЕЗЕНТУВАЛА СЕРІЮ ПОШТОВИХ МАРОК, ПРИСВЯЧЕНИХ КРИМСЬКИМ ТАТАРАМ" [Ukrposhta presents postage stamp series about Crimean Tatars]. 5 Kanal (in Ukrainian). 14 May 2015. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2023.