Ooska Gookas is a circle folk dance from Kharpert (Harpoot) region of historic (pre-genocide) Armenia and danced in the Armenian diaspora in USA post WWII danced to the Armenian folk love song “Ooska Gookas.” It was introduced to folk dancers in USA in the 1960s by Rickey Holden. The preferred recording for the Ooska Gookas dance is that of the Armenian-American Gomidas Band, found on the digital collection Armenian Greek Turkish, Songs & Dances (USA Recordings 1963) selected from their LP albums: Rendezvous In Istanbul, Rendezvous In Greece, and Rendezvous In Armenia. As is the danger of naming a dance after a song, there are several different dances or variations that have been associated with Ooska Gookas, just as this “Ooska Gookas” dance can be done to many different tunes/songs. Many sources list Hooshig Mooshig as an alias for Ooska Gookas, but it is a separate dance that can be done to the song “Ooska Gookas.”
| Dance Name: | Ooska Gookas |
| Original Script: | Ուսկէ կու գաս |
| Pronunciation: | OO-sa-ka GOO-kas |
| Translation: | Where Do You Come From? |
| Aliases: | Uska Gukas. Uske, Usge |
| Related To/See Also: | Hey John (Golghozi Aghchig); Hooshig Mooshig; Jurjena; Shavali; Sweet Girl (Siroon Aghchig/Sirun Aghchik) |
| Country of Origin: | Armenia/USA |
| Region: | Kharpert (Western Armenia/Eastern Anatolia) |
| Choreographer: | Village Traditional |
| Presented in USA: | Rickey Holden (1960s) |
| Dance Type: | Circle/Chain/Line: Non-partner |
| Dance Category: | Village Traditional |
| Folk Status: | Historic |
| Skill Level: | Easy |
| Energy Intensity: | Gentle |
| Song: | “Ooska Gookas” by The Gomidas Band |
| Time Signature: | 10/8: SQQS |
| Pattern/Rhythm: | Part 1: SQL Part 2: LL, where L = (S+Q) or (Q+S) in length # of step-closes/rep: 4, 5, 6, 4 |
| Dancer Formation: | Open Circle |
| Hand Hold: | W-pos with pinky hold |
| Leads to: | R w/ R |
| Date Taught: | 11/07/2023 |
| Teacher: | David |
| Published: | November 4, 2023 |
| Updated: | August 20, 2024 |
I discovered this dance on Henry Temchin’s YouTube channel. When I watched the dance, I immediately recognized it as a variation on what our Fort Collins group calls “Hey John,” danced to the song “Golkhozi Aghchig” (Golghozi/Goghozi). The reason we call it “Hey John” is because the Armenian lyrics sound like the singer is saying, “Hey John!”
As mentioned before, there are crossovers of a same/similar dance to a different song and different dances to the same song. The differences in both dances and songs demonstrate how regional variations arise. Gary Lind-Sinanian posted on Folk Dance Musings’ Ooska Gookas page:
The ‘Hooshig Mooshig’ and ‘Ooska Gookas’ dance steps are unrelated, although the song texts are similar. Many widespread songs had different regional versions and dances.
Hooshig Mooshig is from Erzerum and is related to the Shavali.
Ooska Gookas is from Kharpert and is related to the Jurjena.
I have never found any site that mentions our “Hey John” dance, but this dance is no question a close relative, or even immediate family. Call it “Hey John! 4, 5, 6, 4.” Instead of alternating a jump in place at the end of a phrase, Ooska Gookas has “step L, close R” repetitions to match the music phrasing in the sequence of 4 closes the first time, 5 the second, 6 the third, 4 the fourth, then repeat.
Have a look over at Folk Dance Musings for the lyrics. It’s a love song, but I can’t find a proper translation for the dialect.
The Gomidas Band
The Gomidas Band was an Armenian-American ensemble active in the post WWII era of the 1950s and 1960s. The recording we use for Hey John comes from another such band of more acclaim: Artie Barsamian and his orchestra, which ventured into Big Band Swing with an Armenian flare and as such was known as the “King of Armenian Swing.” It turns out that the Gomidas Band also played “Hey John/Golkhozi Aghchig,” and it seems that they were the first ones to adapt the Soviet propaganda song to a more danceable 10/8 rhythm. I found this interesting history at the The Armenian Museum of America site.
…the songs exemplify the Gomidas Band’s technique of taking classic songs, originally meant to be played in 6/8 rhythm, and transforming them into the “shourch bar” rhythm of 10/8, a style they helped popularize.
One of their most enduring songs in this style was “Golkhozi Aghchig,” originally a piece of 1930s Soviet Communist propaganda that extolled the virtues of an Armenian girl who lives on a Kolkhoz (or Stalinist collective farm) and is the “hero of our new age.” Most likely, the song was introduced to the group by oudist-singer George Kalayjian, and it was the Gomidas Band that decided to play “Golkhozi Aghchig” in the loping 10/8 shourch bar (line dance) rhythm that was typical in most of Western Armenia. It is likely that oudist George Mgrdichian did the arrangement, and his brother Roger Mgrdichian is singing the vocals on the track.