DANCES - ARTVİN

Artvin, located on the Eastern tip of the Black Sea, is surrounded by the natural beauty with pine forests and mineral springs. Dances reflect people's relation with the wild nature, very dynamic and smooth at times, accompanied by instruments as drums and accordions.

The men’s dances show kind but firm and strong gestures, while the women’s dance shows courtesy and skill: Şahlan, depicting the movements of horses, Döne, danced by women depicting getting ready to be seen, and Hemşin and Mendo Barları, both very quick moving dances.

But Artvin’s most famous dance is Ata Barı, originally named Artvin Barı. In 1936, the Artvin folk dance troupe was asked to perform for Kemal Atatürk. He enjoyed it so much that he joined the dancers in the middle of their performance. Since then, the first stanza of the song and the name of the dance were changed to honor him.