On July 9, the Shushi Dance Ensemble of the St. Vartan Armenian Church of New York gave a concert dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide at Renaissance Square in Stepanakert. The concert was organized by the Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

In an interview with “Artsakhpress”, Shushi Dance Ensemble’s artistic director Seta Paskalian-Kantardjian mentioned that this was the ensemble’s second visit to Artsakh in ten years.

“Before visiting Artsakh, we had already performed in Moscow and Yerevan where Armenian song and dance were highly appreciated,” Paskalian-Kantardjian said, adding that this year marks the ensemble’s 23^rd anniversary.

According to the artistic director, Shushi Dance Ensemble has 110 members, including boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 33. “This time we’re in Artsakh with 55 dancers, as well as 3 singers from Los Angeles and the best performers of the choir of the St. Vartan Armenian Church of New York,” Paskalian-Kantardjian mentioned, adding that such visits will be ongoing.

In 1992, young Armenians of New York united around the St. Vartan Church, established a dance ensemble and named it “Shushi” in light of the anniversary of the independence of the Artsakh Republic in 1995. The dance ensemble is highly recognized and has given several concerts around the world, especially in the Near East and South America. In 2013, Shushi Dance Ensemble was elected member of the International Dance Council, which is officially recognized by the UNESCO.