Hayern Aysor’s correspondent sat down for an interview with Director of Sydney Dance Ensemble of Hamazkaine’s Sassoun Chapter Harmig Hagopian, who was hosted at the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Hagopian, how are you responsible for the dance ensemble?

Harmig Hagopian: I am the director and organizer of the dance ensemble. I created the ensemble with my friend in 2000. Our goal is to protect, preserve and develop Armenian dances through the ensemble. I have come to Armenia to spend my vacation, but I have been busy almost every day. For nearly three weeks, I have had many meetings to discuss the issues of the dance ensemble. I want my dance ensemble to come to Armenia next year. The dancers really want to visit the Homeland. In 2008, we performed in Armenia, but now we have new members. When we were creating the dance ensemble, we had two dance groups (“Sassoun” and “Nayiri”). We combined them with the thought that it would be better for us to have a large dance group than two small groups. We invited dance instructors, Albert and Zhasmena Giziryan from Armenia and another four to five dance instructors later. We focused on the youth of our community. They used to be dancers, but now hold responsible offices.

Hayern Aysor: Why did you decide to name the dance ensemble “Sydney”? After all, foreigners might think it is an Australian dance group.

H. H.: No, they won’t. Everyone knows it is the Hamazkaine Armenian Sydney Dance Ensemble and know us. There are other Armenian dance ensembles in Australia, and the goal of each ensemble is to preserve the Armenian identity. We have fourteen ensembles, according to ages. We start enrolling members at the age of four. We also teach people who don’t know how to dance at all. Every year, we accept 50-60 new children and add members because there are people who leave. We rehearse once a week. We give beautiful performances every year. Obviously, it is hard to bring 220 members out on stage right away because it is a tremendous job, and it takes us a year to prepare. We have wonderful dance instructors like Colette Mardirosian, Angineh Garabedian, Kiko Giragosian, Anahid Krikor, Tina Bedrosian and Adrineh Bedrosian. Each of them instructs a special age group. As I mentioned, we came to Armenia in 2008. We have also performed in Los Angeles. We invited Zvartnots Dance Ensemble of Los Angeles to Australia, and they invited us. We are always invited to the events organized by our sister unions in Australia, particularly in Sydney, and we always perform one or two beautiful dances.

Hayern Aysor: How do you solve the problem with costumes?

H. H.: We face many difficulties with that. Roza Melkonyan from Yerevan has been making the costumes for the ensemble for the past eleven years. Recently, our ensemble grew, and in that sense, we have more expenses. It is hard to maintain an ensemble without sponsors, and it is getting harder. However, we do everything we can to maintain our dance ensemble because that is a major link for preservation of the Armenian identity abroad.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Hagopian, how and when did you settle in Sydney?

H. H.: I was little when my parents sent me to India to study and stay with my paternal aunt. My aunt’s husband passed away, and her daughters had already moved to Australia. My aunt was going to leave the country and asked my parents if she should send me back to Persia or take me with her to Australia. My parents agreed to have my aunt take me with her. Later, my whole family moved to Australia. We have been living in Australia for 50-60 years now.

Hayern Aysor: What is your profession? Are you a dancer?

H. H.: I am not a dancer by profession, but I have danced from 1976 to 1982. Afterwards, I started working as an organizer and manager in the field of dance. This is not the only thing I do. For ten years, I have served as the chairman of a trade office that my friends and I opened in Australia. I have hosted many ministers from Armenia with the desire to establish cooperation in the sphere of business. Over the past seven years, I have also served as a member of the board of trustees of Hamazkaine School. I also have a large share. We work on making sure the number of students is no less than 200. There are about five Armenian schools in Sydney.

Hayern Aysor: Is there a press in Sydney?

H. H.: Yes, there are many newspapers. We have a church, dance groups, a choir, schools and cultural centers. We have everything and aspire to preserve those values that help us preserve our national identity, traditions and native language in Australia.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Hagopian, are there other dancers in your family?

H. H.: Yes, my son is a dancer. He is a member of our ensemble and got married recently. He keeps saying he won’t be dancing anymore, but…My sister and brother have also danced. Dance has always been a part of our family.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Hagopian, how do you think Armenian dance helps an Armenian? Does it help an Armenian preserve the national identity and provide children with an Armenian upbringing?

H. H.: That is a tough question. I met my future wife through the dance ensemble. I have about eight friends who also chose their better halves from the dance ensemble. The dance ensemble conveys the air and spirit of the Armenians to the dancers and, of course, it helps them preserve the national identity. Most of the members get married to each other and start families. This also serves as a way for them to stay away from mixed marriages.

Hayern Aysor: Do citizens of Sydney love and know the Armenians?

H. H.: Yes, we Armenians of Sydney have a right to be proud of that. We hold a festival during which we introduce foreigners to Armenian culture. In March 2015, the Minister of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia visited Australia. We organized a big event during which our dance ensemble performed along with other groups. The foreigners were charmed and amazed and asked about Armenian culture. Unfortunately, we aren’t strong enough to present Armenian culture to the Australians. We had invited about 700 foreigners, including officials, media representatives, TV and radio representatives. We were able to ensure the presence of 100 people. We not only danced, but also presented Armenia with pictures of Armenia, our cultural monuments, our renowned Armenians and our achievements on the screen.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Hagopian, how would you assess the activities of the Ministry of Diaspora?

H. H.: I attach great importance to the existence and activities of the Ministry of Diaspora. It is a loop through which the issues of Diaspora Armenians are solved easily. Mrs. Hakobyan helps us with all of our problems, and we are very grateful to her for that. She helped us obtain costumes for our members. I currently have some problems with extending my visa, and the Minister is helping me with that as well. In the past, it would take us about six months to fill out papers and invite someone from Armenia. Now, thank God, we Diaspora Armenians have a minister that helps, provides advice, organizes and facilitates the solution to the problems that we face. Hamazkaine has its office in Yerevan, which has established contacts with the Ministry of Diaspora. Let the RA Ministry of Diaspora only succeed!

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Hagopian, thank you for this interview and for preserving and disseminating Armenian dance and culture abroad. Let Sydney Dance Ensemble work miracles in Sydney!

Karine Avagyan