Azerbaijan National Day

28 May 2009

Wisma AMODA, Bankers Club

By Alexander Chin

On 28 May, Azerbaijan celebrated the 90^th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR). ADR was established in 1918 and was the first democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world. The Embassy of The Republic of Azerbaijan in Kuala Lumpur held a reception to celebrate their memorable Independence Day.

The moment I stepped out of the elevator, I was warmly welcomed by the people already present at the Bankers Club. I was grateful for that, because I felt unsecure at first, but they made me fit in so naturally that I was chatting with them like friends.

The night started with a toast from Mr Tahir Karimov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan and also a toast from Dato Dr Awang Adek Hussin, Deputy Minister of Finance. The national anthem for Azerbaijan and Malaysia were played after the toast.

After the national anthem ended, the program proceeded to the main event of the night, the dance performance. The embassy invited guest-dancers, Mr Xanlar Bashirov and Mrs Ayten Bunyadova from Azerbaijan for the performance.

The first dance, called Mirzeyi was performed by Mrs Ayten.  This dance is usually performed by women at wedding parties.  Mrs Ayten came on stage with her hands full, juggling four cubs of water.  The idea is not to spill the water inside the glass while going through complicated and difficult dance steps.  Not only did she have to turn round and round, she also had to bend backwards, showing off the flexibility of her nimble body.

This was followed by Kechmamesi, performed by Mr Xanlar.  Originally, this is a competitive dance usually performed by two men.  Even though he performed alone that night, you can still feel the competitiveness and power through his dance. At the near end of this dance, Mr. Xanlar too showed the flexibility of his body by picking up a handkerchief from the floor using his mouth without even kneeling. I was so worried that he would fall down when he tried to do that, but he succeeded in the end and won a good round of applause.

After the two performances, it was break time for the performers while the guest helped themselves to the buffet served. I too headed for the buffet line to help myself with the dishes. A lot of Azerbaijan cuisines were served, and even though I don’t know the names of the foods, I can tell you that it tastes great!

The performance resumed after the interval with a dance called Qaval by Mrs Ayten. The dancer hides her face behind the drum most of the time and reveals herself occasionally.  This is also a dance performed at weddings. At this point, I noticed that all the dances were rapid in pace.  She was dancing so fast that I could barely take a nice steady picture.

The fourth dance for the night is called Dagli Reqsi, which means “Dance of the Highlanders”. When Mr Xanlar appeared on the stage again, I was surprised to see him wearing a wig. But before I had the chance to figure out the reason of the wig, waves of powerful dance steps were stomp. This dance displays the bravery and pride of the people of Caucasus; and Mr. Xanlar managed to convey it through his dancing.

The final dance of the evening is called Naz Eleme, which literally means “Don’t Coquet”. In this dance there is a little element of coquetry when a bride refuses to dance with a groom and makes him to wait for a long time.  She is finally charmed by his beautiful performance and she accepts his proposal. For this finale, both Mr. Xanlar and Mrs Ayten performed and told us the story of the bride and groom through their dancing. Their choreography was amazing, especially the part where they cross each other several times - they were like dolphins swimming happily in the ocean. The dance has a happy ending and so does the evening.  It was a wonderful night celebrating the Azerbaijan National Day.