Volume 72, No. 37, September 16, 2006

Sayat Nova Dance Ensemble’s Armenia Tour 2006

By Raffi Meneshian

After it was all over, the scene backstage was one of jubilation and a sense of significant accomplishment. Amid the gailstorm of excitement and controlled chaos, I saw an old man in his 70s carefully carrying a large fruit box up the side of the stage and behind the curtains. He suddenly locked his eyes onto Apo Ashjian, the artistic director and choreographer of the Sayat Nova Dance Company (SNDC), and walked toward him like a man on a mission. Indeed, the old man finally met Apo and his words were quite simple: "Apo jan, please accept these fresh apricots from my family as a gift to you and your dance company for providing us with such a joyful night." In the great Armenian tradition of masculine brotherhood, the two embraced in a bear hug.

Boston-based Sayat Nova Dance Company concluded their seven show tour of Armenia in grand style at the Opera House in Yerevan, Armenia, on July 7 to a sold-out standing room only crowd of over 1,000 people. Arriving in Yerevan on June 24, the dance company had arranged and programmed an ambitious performance tour of Stepanakert, Gyumri, Goris and Yerevan. With over 98 percent of the dance company traveling from the Boston area to Armenia, the logistical challenges were formidable for all 72 members. Add to the dancers 14 members of the famed Merengulian Folk Orchestra of Armenia, who were also included to create a team of nearly 100 people, with sound and stage personnel also participating. Yet, for this well-disciplined and passionate group, these challenges were minor ones. The biggest question on the 20th anniversary tour was seeing how their toughest potential audience—all in Armenia in Nagorno Karabagh—to date would accept them.

The first performance of SNDC in Yerevan would be their initial test. The group had arranged a special private show for members of the Armenian army at the Hagop Baronian Theater right next to Republic Square. As members of the military streamed into the 652-seat theater in full army fatigues, the DVD introduction to the show flashed onto the screen in the theater and went on for five minutes. The dance members then stormed the stage to mark their entrance not only to the theater and their new military audience, but to Armenia herself. As the group worked out initial kinks in their program, the minor issues were lost among the enthusiastic packed house of soldiers. Men and women in the audience jumped onto their seats whistling and screaming in adoration of their Diasporan cousins, to the point where the dancers could not even hear the band. A thunderous applause ended the show giving SNDC the confidence and affirmation that they indeed belonged in Armenia. After their initial high from their Armenian army performance, it was time for the group to focus on their next task: a trip to Nagorno Karabagh for an open-air show in Stepanakert, for a crowd rumored to be over 5,000 people.

For many members of SNDC, this was their first time in Armenia. After growing up in a Diasporan community and discovering their Armenian identity, putting the pieces together was quite moving. SNDC performer Levon Kurkjian is a clear example of how Armenia had a tremendous effect on him. As Apo Ashjian explained, this was more than just a tourist trip: "Levon was visibly moved by the whole Armenia experience to the point where he feels it has changed his life for the better. Having not been to Armenia and finally seeing it and experiencing the country of his forefathers gave him a unique perspective on what it means to be an Armenian."

Certainly, those who remember the Karabagh war in the early 1990’s know how much suffering the local population went through to gain autonomy. It is believed that almost every family in Karabagh lost a family member in the fighting. SNDC’s ambitious dance programming included at least three overt references to the area of Karabagh with the selections "Artsakh," "Yearning for Karabagh," and the "Women of Artsakh." It could be argued that their last number was also indirectly a nod to Karabaghtsis as well. With that in mind, SNDC took to the open-air stage in Karabagh’s capital city, Stepanakert, located in the center of town. At first, the crowd politely applauded the dance group as they went through the first half of their program. After each number, the crowd grew as people started to appear, coming from not only Stepanakert but other regions, such as Askeran, Martuni and Martakert. What started as a modest crowd of about 2,000-3,000 people soon swelled to over 5,000 people as the last movement of the program started. Just before the final five numbers, a military procession began to enter the crowd in order. One by one, the soldiers lined up in the crowd while the dance entitled "Artsakh" began. At that time, the audience seemed to spontaneously erupt in applause and this energy level was sustained until the last number. For SNDC’s second show, it seemed that the Karabaghtsis were absolutely enamored with the group, with girls lining up to meet the guys in the dance group as rock fans would ask for autographs at a show. Many SNDC members looked at that show as being the turning point when the group on the tour where they started to bond closer than they had ever before. It was quite apparent that just being in Armenia was not enough; instead, the feeling of actually bringing entertainment— pure Armenian entertainment—to the local population brought a sense of empowerment to the group. Indeed, two shows, two knockouts, was a great record. Five more shows to go and SNDC was starting to really gel technically and creatively.

Goris is a smaller city in southwest Armenia located in the Zangezour region. Known for its cave dwellings and distinctly Armenian architecture, the residents of the city had not seen an artistic performance from outside of Armenia in over a decade. In fact, their local theater was in dire need of repair. Arriving a day before their performance, the SNDC crew worked together with local residents in renovating the dance stage in record time. The show was rousing as SNDC members and the local community bonded during and after the show. Yet again, seeing a different part of Armenia outside Yerevan had a tremendous effect on the group. The same could be said of the two performances in Gyumri, Armenia, a city nearly destroyed in the earthquake that rocked Armenia in 1988. Both shows were sold out and once again SNDC displayed how the Diaspora has preserved and perpetuated Armenian tradition even while being outside of their native homeland. Treated like rock stars again, the interaction with the local population was just as rewarding as that of the other cities they had visited. News of a Diasporan group bringing joy and beauty of music and dance to Armenia was starting to reverberate in Yerevan, where their last two shows were to be held.

During the brief interlude between Gyumri and the upcoming Yerevan shows, SNDC had little time to sample Lake Sevan and explore Yerevan. Yet, while their trip would officially be over on July 11, the shows on July 6 and 7 at the Baronian Theater and Opera House respectively would be significant. For many, such as performer Louisa Ouzounian, Armenia had helped shape their ethnic identity. Matching a face to the voice, as they say, was important. Armenia was not simply this distant far away place, Ouzounian would contemplate, it was in fact a living and breathing country with all of the joys and failings of any country. Like Kurkjian, Ouzounian’s trip to Armenia was life altering in many ways. Like meeting long lost relatives she had heard about, this union was so rewarding personally.

The matinee performance at the Hagop Baronian Theater on July 6 was targeted toward a purely local crowd. Children, housewives, kitchen workers, hotel laborers, construction workers and electricians were among those who witnessed another beautiful pulse-pounding performance by SNDC. Spontaneous clapping on beat with almost every appropriate song filled the cozy theater. At the show’s end, flowers were presented to the group by the young and old alike. In many ways, this was a pure SNDC performance—for the people—with nothing asked for in return. All tickets were free and were given out throughout Yerevan. On the eve of their big Opera show, it seemed that SNDC was completely locked in and in full concentration mode. Their earlier minor timing issues with the band were now smoothed over and the confidence was brimming for what would be their signature performance.

Having opened in the early 1930’s, the Opera House had its first performance in 1933 staging the popular "Almast" opera by Alexander Spendiaryan. Since then, it has remained one of the landmarks in Yerevan. Indeed, the "La Scala" of Armenia would be the final destination for SNDC. At 3 p.m., key SNDC members were finishing the set design and decorations onstage. That night, all of their hard work would be put to the test. It was one thing to strut their stuff in Boston-area stages or in smaller Armenian towns such as Goris. However, this performance was their final exam, a test to see how locals would react to a Diasporan band of dancers.

The show started off with the introduction of the SNDC dancers featuring a number called "From Sea to Sea," which set the night in motion with a bang. Some of the highlights from the first half included the piece "Ani," and was preceded by a video introduction against the stage backdrop. The dance depicted the glory days of the ancient capital of Armenia as well as the misfortune that befell the city known as "the city of a thousand and one churches." The dance effectively reminded the audience that Ani is now a ruined ghost town in Turkey, just a short distance from the Armenian-Turkish border. Other dances such as the "Mountain Dance," paid tribute to the dramatic landscape throughout Armenia and the inspiration the dancers drew from them. The "Sayat Nova" dance, which included songs such as "Qani Voor Jan Im," "Tamam Ashkhar Ptout Eka" and "Qamancha," was an elegant tribute to the 18th century troubadour, poet and musician Sayat Nova, the namesake of the dance group itself. This dance featured the vocals of Nune Yessayan with choreography by Apo Ashjian.

During the first half of the SNDC show at the Opera House, various members of the audience were asked to come on stage to be acknowledged for their contribution to the dance group. As people such as Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and other dignitaries looked on, musicians Ara Gevorgian, Vanush Ghanamiryan and Ardusha Karapetian received a gift and kind words from the dance group on stage. As the first half concluded and people crowded the common lobby, the talk of the venue was how "professional" the group was. Yet, as Apo Ashjian mentioned during the end of the show to the crowd, this dance group is actually an amateur group with members made up of people from all walks of life including teachers, electricians, barbers, accountants, etc.

If the first half was thematically designed to showcase the beauty of Armenian dance, the second half was more of a story about survival and the celebration of successes by the Armenian Nation. Dances such as the "Vaspourakan Dance Suite," "Memories," and the very powerful "Caravan" drew in the sold-out crowd immediately. Indeed, "Caravan" depicted the actual caravan made up of Armenians deported from Turkey in 1915. It evoked the mood of the long and torturous journey across the desert, with the women yearning for a moment’s rest along the way. The next section of the second half was clearly devoted to the liberation of Nagorno-Karabagh and appreciation of its beautiful landscape and people. Pieces included "Artsakh," "Yearning for Karabagh," and the "Women of Artsakh." The final stretch included the patriotic song "Aryunot Drosh" and "In Memory of Armenian Heroes." With both pieces, the dancers appeared on stage in full army fatigue while the audience erupted. Again, as in the other cities, the bond between local Armenians and the Diasporans from Boston was cemented.

As the dancers took their final bow, confetti and flowers were thrown on the stage. As the final curtain closed, the dancers erupted in spontaneous vocal joy backstage. Hugs and kisses, high fives, and shouts of "Who’s fired up!" echoed throughout the Opera House. A stunned local crowd was completely won over by the heart and enthusiasm of SNDC on the outside. However, backstage, tears of joy were shed by the dancers and SNDC crew alike, overjoyed at their sense of accomplishment. As SNDC member Josh Tevekelian said, "The whole idea of sacrifice is what got to us. We as a dance group are trying to do our part to keep Armenian culture alive in the Diaspora. However, coming to Armenia is our way of showing people how much we stand with them in solidarity of promoting one culture—the Armenian culture." The audience certainly agreed, as evidenced by a standing ovation and syncopated clapping that thundered throughout the grand hall.

At that point, the old man with the apricots made his way toward his first step backstage brimming with pride. It seemed that a box of Armenia’s national fruit in perfect season was about to be presented to Boston’s own heroes for a day. Indeed, it was 20 years ago that the Sayat Nova Dance Company was formed as an independent group in the Boston area. The reciprocation of gifts, from the box of fruit from the old man to the gift of dance to the Armenian people by SNDC seemed only fitting.

Raffi Meneshian is a former contributor to Global Rhythm Magazine and is currently the executive director of YerazArt and the CEO/founder of Pomegranate Music. He is a voting member (Grammy Awards) of the Recording Academy.