Unveiling the Truth
Dutch historian Dirk Roodzant has committed his career to the Armenian Cause
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December 26, 2007
"Cirque du Soleil" Troupe of Nork Children's Center Wows Audiences in Texas and California
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Young participant from Hayortats, the performing arts troupe of Nork Children's Center in Yerevan, shows the grace of Armenian dance during a recent performance in Southern California. -
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Members of the Armens Drum Ensemble. -
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This dance demonstrates the harmony that has traditionally existed between the sexes in Armenia. -
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Young Armenian women show off their agility. -
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Members of the Hayortats troupe conclude a show-stopping dance.
At the invitation of AGBU and the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, the award-winning performing arts troupe of the AGBU Nork Children's Center in Yerevan toured the western United States this past November, performing in Dallas, Texas, several locales in Southern California, as well as San Francisco, with wildly enthusiastic audiences in excess of four thousand.
This one-of-a-kind tour de force, coined as the "Armenian Cirque Du Soleil," is a mosaic of music, dance, poetry recitation, choral rendition, thrilling gymnastics and aerobatics, which showcases the talent, spirit and vitality of 52 young performers, ages 10 to 19. They present a remarkable repertoire of traditional Armenian and contemporary art forms, which Minas Kojayan, in a Nor Gyank review, likened to "a piece of the Armenian homeland, sky and sun."
Another reviewer in Nor Gyank, Kevork Keushkerian, described the troupe's performance and its impact on his imagination: "At times, it felt like we were watching a River Dance by the Irish performers, at times it felt like we were at the opera watching one of Carmen's gypsy dancers, and at times it felt like we were in the highlands of Armenia living our dreams of unity against the national threats...It was a nationalistic cry for repatriation and a call for unity."
In charge of this group is Father Krikor Khatchadourian, general director of AGBU Children's Centers in Yerevan (besides the one in Nork, there are centers in the Malatya and Arapkir districts of the city). Spearheading it is artistic director Aida Andriasyan, with Sossie Kelegian serving as artistic consultant. The group's dance instructors are Gayane Grigorian and Arman Djulhakian. The gymnastics trainer is Avetis Ginosian. The group is comprised of the Haykazunk Ethnographic (Folk) Ensemble, Narek Dance Ensemble, Nork Circus Ensemble, Armens (previously Vahagn) Drum Ensemble, and Assoub Step Ensemble.
The Western U.S. tour marks the second visit of this troupe to this country, the first having taken place in 2005, during which audiences in Boston, Chicago, Montreal, New York, Racine, WI, Toronto, and Washington, DC were mesmerized by the youthful performers.
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