Khorasani Dance (Choub Bazi)

Khorasan area is one of the exclusive regions in Iran, where different tribes live together despite differences in race and culture and it is due to its climatic variability.

Khorasani music is one of the oldest type of Iranian music which is played by different rhythms and melodies among the people in cities and villages of Khorasan region. There are some special music for doing different things such as agriculture, wheat cultivation, rain beginning and other traditions in Khorasan region, which distinguishes the identity and the culture of the people in this desert region from the other people in Iran. The modern music of southern regions in Khorasan, which today has been turned into South Khorasan, has a long history so that the ceremonies and cultural rituals of south Khorasan has been registered on the list of Iranian national heritage. Rhythmic and dramatic movements are the features of local music in this region, which is run simultaneously.

Ear catching songs, the most epic dance, music with various rhythms and harmonic movements are common especially in Ghahestan and Birjand. The common rhythms are exclusive to this region and are not common in other regions of Iran. Also, there are some special songs in some villages which have a local reputation. The particular songs of Choub Bazi increase the beauty, mobility and excitement of this dance. Choub Bazi is a complex, difficult group dance which needs highskill, promptitude and strength and actually is one of the arts related to dance which is performed with its specific features in this region. The dance of Choub or Choub Bazi is a stirring dance of which the most movements are similar to the epic, martial aspects and the fence and it is common in all cities of southern Khorasan. This dance is performed in most of east and southeast regions of Iran among the residents of Khorasan and Sistan with some difference. The most common dance of Choub is performed with 2 or more people in a group with special order with a rural music instrument which is slow at first then its rhythm become faster. Each dancer has 2 short and hard pieces of wood in their hands moving 2 steps forward and 1 step backward with each beat of music while beating the woods crosswise and whirling completely with a sudden jump. Accompaniment of the sound of rural instruments such as drum maker, Sorna, Dayereh and Ney with the sound of beating wood and fanfare sound with white color clothing gives a stirring and excitement to this dance.