At this weekend, there was a wedding in Montreal Armenian community. It was the wedding of Kayane and Armen, which was like a grand performance of Armenian music and dances.
When any performance or music makes you tearful in the dark hall, it means it touches your heart. Isn’t it the purpose of all kinds of art? Any kind of art must storm your brain, and fill your heart with noble feelings. In this sense, the wedding in Ashnanazard Village, which took place on 14 and 15 October 2017, at Pierre Mercure Hall of Montreal, reached its goal deservingly.
Probably the most impressive scene of the wedding was the presence of different generations on the stage. How awesome it was to see white bearded grandfathers hugging their grandchildren, the grandmothers cherishing their children, and finally the excited and extremely happy youngsters. Of course, it was the most impressive and touching scene for the audience.
Not only were the representatives of different generations, wearing colorful costumes, attractive. The atmosphere in the backstage, with sweaty dancers, children rushing to change their costumes, with Committee members running here and there, and with those who did different minor jobs, was more amusing. I am convinced that it was much more pleasant to be in that quirky charming environment than on the stage.
Very Rev. Fr. Vartan Tashjian’s presence on the stage on his true mission was nice and impressive. On other occasions, Father Vartan had just left an impression of a clergyman fond of Armenian songs and culture. With this his speech he also proved his closeness to the young generation, which would certainly have very constructive consequences.
The right to evaluate the skills of soloists and all dancers should be given to dance professionals. However, when more than two hundred and fifty children, and the young and elderly dancers entered the stage to present Aram Khachaturian's Kayane, after having prepared for this performance for months, listening to Khachaturian's classical and folk music․ Now they finally danced Khachaturian, and we believe that the love for art has already been injected to purify the souls, and in future, we can certainly reap the fruits.
The direction of a dance group consisting of two hundred and fifty members needs a talent combined with the dance skills. In an instant, I witnessed how Mrs. Eva Hayrapetian was performing the last checks in the backstage. I noticed the way she was looking at the dancers, and it was quite enough to understand that the ensemble had achieved success due to her apparent stability and decisiveness.
Kayane’s first performance took place in Russia in 1942. Minas Avedisian's stage decorations, created for Kayane ballet in 1974, have always impressed the spectators. To use his decorations for this performance a special right was needed with a set tariff. By using these unique stage decorations and the copied duplicate costumes of the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet of Yerevan, the Ani dance ensemble of Hamazkayin once again eternalized Khachaturian’s creation.
The duplicitous works directly depend on tariffs and your budget. However, it is appropriate to state here that according to psychologists, the people who share or grant are happier than others. So happy are Atom and Seda Malkhasian, who are not just ordinary companions, but also honorable defenders of culture. We are also happy to share our gratitude to all big and small participants. We hope that after so many years, the old and new performances of Kayane or Gikor will be met again on the stage with the same enthusiasm, exactly as it happened last weekend.
Last weekend there was a wedding. The gracious girls danced and wove carpets and charmed the hearts. Again the ground thundered under the boys’ feet, the evil was prevented, and the love, the light of love, the colorful love won...
Nanor - Ashna Snabian Liparian
October 18, 2017
Montreal
