Rhythm Sister: Dutch devotee of Armenian dance spreads the word in steps

ArmeniaNow
By Gayane Abrahamyan ArmeniaNow reporter

A Dutch woman’s devotion to the art of Armenian dance has led her to teach it to people all over the world.
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This Dutch expert of Armenian dance has gone on to hold classes of Armenian Kochari, Shorora and other dances in the Netherlands, Italy, England, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Hungary, Canada, Finland, Japan and Taiwan. (see her website www.tinekevangeel.nl)
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Besides teaching, van Geel talks to her classes about Armenia and Armenians with great enthusiasm, showing picture books and albums about her subject.

“You can’t feel the dance without having learnt the history of the country. I always talk about the Genocide, the reason Armenians have a Diaspora today and what the differences between their dances are,” she says.

“I often play duduk recordings during the breaks and that just shocks them. Many say this instrument and the music reflect the history of the Armenian people.”

Besides Armenian dances, van Geel also loves Armenian dance music and she has made her own significant contribution to popularizing it. In the difficult years for Armenia from 1988 to 1996, van Geel would invite Armenian musicians to Holland for recordings of Armenian dance music.
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Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.