INVESTIGATION OF THE SHOULDER HALAY IN AREA TOKAT

Abstract

This Study was conducted to examine the way how shoulder dance was acted in Tokat district and what sense it has at the present. Tokat of which the history backs BC Dates to the year 3000 is one of the most important settlements in Central Black Sea region. Tokat hosted many nations and people starting from the ancient Byzantine period such as Byzantine, Arab , Persian , Mongol and Turks until today. . This " multi-culturalism" is obviously manifested in the material and spiritual cultural values. The rich and deep-rooted culture in this district can be observed in the diversity of movements, figures and acts in folk dances. Both folk dance colthes and daily clothes are the evidence of the richness and diversity of the cultural heritage . Although Tokat’s in the transition zone, it is mainly classified as “Halay Dance Type” in terms of Folk Dances an done of the oldest dance known in Tokat is still “ shoulder " dance . It is also called "arbor"dance. Shoulder ( arbor ) dance used to be acted by men in the past. However, it is known that women - men are played in a mixed dance especially after the spread of folk dance competitions with the “staging” fact since the end of the year 1970. It is obvious that this dance has a different feature among Turkish folk dance because women perform the dance on the shoulder of men. Although different meanings assigned in the past to shoulder dance, today it is thought to symbolize "the value given to women ".