Govend

Govend is the mother of Kurdish dances, the form around which every other dance orbits. It is performed collectively in a long open circle, dancers holding each other's hands at shoulder height and moving in coordinated steps from right to left. The circle is led by the sergovend — the most skilled dancer — who holds a coloured handkerchief that he waves to signal changes in tempo. The rhythms are countless: the slow ceremonial govend for great weddings; the swift, thrilling forms for youth gatherings. It is played to drum and zurna, and dancers may number in the hundreds in public squares. This dance is the oldest collective act in Kurdish memory.