Armenia’s Narek Dance Ensemble gave performances in the French cities of Marseille and Cassis at the invitation of Patrick Malakian, son of notable French-Armenian film director and screenwriter Henri Verneuil, filmmaker and chairman of the AGBU Marseille Chapter, writes BRAVO.am.

Artistic director of the Narek Dance Ensemble of the Armenian Youth Center of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Armenian General Benevolent Union of  Nork District Arman Julhakyan had told BRAVO.am about this visit a year ago. Last year, Patrick Malakian attended the ensemble’s concert in Yerevan, liked what he saw and invited the ensemble to France. “Patrick’s idea lied at the core of the script. I choreographed the dances, and the performance was directed by director of the Dramatic Theater Grigor Khachatryan. We structured the plot in a way to make the dances continue without interruptions.”

Narek Dance Ensemble performed in France

Talking about the performance, Arman said the ensemble had called it “Eternity”. The performance is about the eternity of the Armenian nation, the identity of the Armenian nation, the trials and tribulations that it has undergone and where it has reached. We mixed different genres, including classical, ethnographic, Latino, country and Argentine tango. The students of the circus school of the Armenian Youth Center of Nork District and soloist of Geghard Choir Luiza Yeremyan also participated in the performance. Among the people in the audience were Frenchmen, the Swiss and other foreigners. The reception was held in a wonderful atmosphere, and the ensemble even received an offer to perform in Lyon, Paris, Geneva and Milan next year.”