Hamazkayin Meghry Dance Group of Philadelphia Shines in Yerevan

By Anita Hovsepian and Lena Ohannesian

Hamazkayin Philadelphia’s Meghry Dance Group’s visit to Armenia was a huge success, as they also celebrated their fifth anniversary in Armenia. The group was honored by the invitation to participate in “Im Hayasdan” (My Armenia) Pan-Armenian Festival in July, devoted to the 25^th anniversary of the independence of Armenia. The group joined 48 dance troupes from 25 countries in this exciting annual festival, the third since its launch, which is organized every other year by the Ministry of Diaspora in order to strengthen the ties between Armenia and the Diaspora by engaging young artists of Armenian origin across the globe.

Hamazkayin Meghry Dance Group of Philadelphia performs in Yerevan

This was Meghry’s first participation in an event of this scale since the group’s establishment in 2011, under the auspices of Hamazkayin. Twelve Meghry dancers—Zabelle Minasian, Alicia Handian, Aleen Streeter, Serpouhi Kzelian, Lana Vartanian, Luiza Shrinian, Angelica Aghbabaian, Narine Babaian, Tamar Hovsepian, Adrine Kharajian, and Lucine Kharajian—participated in this festival, under the leadership of Lena Ohannesian and assistants Tamar Panossian and Anita Hovsepian. The group traveled to Yerevan on July 19.

Meghry’s first performance was on July 21, at the Hamazkayin organized evening dedicated to the memory of Tomas Haroutunyan. The event was held a day before the opening of the festival, in the historical Baronian Theater. Meghry delivered a spectacular performance together with Knar dance group of Lebanon and Nairi dance group of New Jersey. Meghry performed a total of eight dances comprised of various traditional Armenian dances and one Latin dance.

On July 22, Meghry participated in the festival opening ceremonies at the prominent Opera house in Yerevan with the Krounk dance choreographed by Vilen Galoustyan, who currently is the Director of the Opera house. The opening ceremony, which saw the participation of 45 dance groups, was breathtaking and touching in the fully packed Opera House.

A few days of sight-seeing followed, which included performances in the Gyumri and Ararat regions. The group returned to the Baronian Theater for the closing ceremonies. Meghry dancers performed exceptionally well and received praises from other participating groups and audiences. They also received a gold medal and a certificate for their outstanding performance in the festival and for making contributions to preserving Armenian culture and identity.

Megrhy’s trip to Armenia and participation in the festival was an important milestone for this young dance group and its dancers. The trip provided a wonderful opportunity for the dancers to experience Armenia, particularly for those who had never been to Armenia before. They were elated seeing and standing in the ancient churches and monasteries for the first time. They were overcome by solemn emotions during their visit to Tsitsernakaberd. They were captivated by the sight of Mount Ararat in a distance, and enjoyed the boat tour on Lake Sevan. They loved exploring the streets of Yerevan, and the flash mob dancing to the tune of Armenian music on the streets of Gyumri, Yerevan, and the grounds of Sevanavank.

When it was time to travel back home, all were sad to leave and already were reminiscing about what a magnificent time and meaningful trip they had; soon they were making plans to return. This incredible experience and the love to perpetuate Armenian dance and heritage will hopefully drive the group to participate in the 2018 festival.