"Homoerotic Dance" Condemned

The North-Ossetian ensemble “Alan performs “Gandagana dance in this video clip. This dance is in the repertoire of almost all dance groups in the Caucasus – Georgian, Ossetian as well as Armenian and North Caucasian.

It should be noted that a conclusion has been made in South Ossetia that this gays’ dance popularizes homosexual culture and it is shameful to dance it.

The South Ossetia media and bloggers cite the three main evidences:

Argument 1. Hootchy kootchy body movements

Nowadays women also dance ‘Gardagana’, but this is later choreography. Initially it was a dance of eastern sultans’ guys-lovers. This is Adjarian dance and Adjara historically was under the Turkey’s influence. Boys-dancers, trained to erotic dances and call-singing were in demand in Iran, Turkey and Egypt. They were termed ‘bacha-bazi’.

In the course of time, these homoerotic dances were forbidden by Europeanized governments of these countries. But adapted versions have been preserved and “Gandagana is one of them: dancers’ peculiar wriggling movements on half- bent legs, symbolizing passivism and calling by swaying hips. A wide belt with a dangling end – a rudiment of the breechcloth, covering naked bodies of dancing boys’ ‘bacha-bazi’ . Thus, ‘Gandagana’ is nothing but an ancient gay-striptease.

A note in Facebook: ‘I (and not only I) can’t help associating this dance with sultan’s gay-dancers when I see how the guys dance ‘Gandagana’, twisting and wiggling their butts.  

Andrey Tedeev, a head of ‘APC’ break-dance group: ‘I heard about indecent origin of ‘Gardagana’ long ago, but I’ve recently read an article in the newspaper and it enhanced my opinion’.  

Lyana Tadeeva, a journalist: ‘I see nothing indecent in it. I like this dance.’

Vakhtang Jigkayev, economist: ‘It’s idiocy!. This dance has had a sheer culturological meaning for a long time’.

Igor Chochiev: “Not only is it indecent, but it is also wild to perform such a dance. We are Ossetians, we have Simd, Hongae. What can be more beautiful than Ossetian “Simd? 

Argument 2. Historically it is the slave dance

In Muslim countries the boys from conquered nations – Georgians, Armenians, Bulgarians, Greeks, were used for “bacha-bazi. Those, who danced “Gandagana voluntarily, became the slaves.

Kosta Koshte, a journalist, chairman of the “Rastag Ir party: “There are elements in this dance that are indecent to perform for a man, especially for the Ossetian. The youth, performing this dance, distance from their origin. “Gandagana has so different ideology as compared with the Ossetian dance that it must be banned in Ossetia.

Yuri Gabarayev, Editor-in-Chief of the “Hurzarin newspaper: The great warriors’ descendants should not perform the slave dances. If our predecessors had seen this dance performed at weddings, they would have burnt with shame.

Argument 3 This is the Georgian dance and it is ideologically incompatible with Ossetians

A Facebook comment: “This foreign dance is incompatible with the Ossetian’s self-identification.

Kazbek Chelekhsati, a public figure, an author of the book “Ossetia and Ossetians: I am strictly against performing dances of other peoples, especially Georgian, at our weddings. Ossetian dances are the most beautiful. We should, first of all, take care of increasing our culture’s level.

Tamara Terashvili, a journalist: “This is insanity, the beautiful dance, very nice and very complicated. It must be performed. Some fool has decided to make a name, having found one more occasion to spit on enemies, posing oneself as a connoisseur and patriot.

Sergei Khazbiyevich Shavlokhov, Art Director of the “Simd ensemble: “I headed the ensemble 4 years ago and at that time “Gandagana dance was not in the repertoire. In my opinion this dance is not performed because the wounds have not been cured, many guys (dancers) have lost their relatives and kin, memory does not let. That’s why, “Gandagana should not be performed so far, of course. May be in the course of time. As for me, I do not see indecent movements in the dance. I have been familiar with its content since very childhood: the young guys are sailing boats and fishing. Later girls came out to them and they dance jointly. Every dance may be performed indecently upon one’s wish.