On July 25, Tehran’s Zartonk Dance Company gave a concert at the Palace of Culture and Youth of Stepanakert. The concert was part of the “My Armenia” Pan-Armenian Festival organized by the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

The concert included performances of Armenian, Italian, Russian, Georgian and Ajarian dances.

In an interview with “Artsakhpress”, Zartonk Dance Company’s artistic director and dance instructor Loreta Avetisian said the dance group was founded in 1989 in Tehran.

“The 60 Armenian members of the dance company and I are visiting Artsakh for the first time ever. We highly value the arts and Armenian culture and do everything we can to preserve and develop them. It is nice to see the increase in the number of children and activism every year,” the artistic director of the dance company stated.

“The dance company performs classic Armenian dances and the classic dances of different nations. Currently, we have 147 Armenian members between the ages of 4 and 30. The dance company is supported by the board comprised of the company’s director and the members’ parents. Throughout the year, the dance company participates in the national and religious events and ceremonies organized in Tehran.

There have been events dedicated to the Armenian Genocide, the Independence of the Republic of Armenia, Culture Day, Mothers’ Day, pan-Armenian and school-wide games and international days. We have participated in the “Pyunik” Festival in Yerevan as the first group from Iran.

We have also participated in the international festivals held in the Russian city of Nalchik and the Georgian city of Batumi and have received the first prize in Georgia,” Loreta Avetisian said, adding that she and the members of the dance company laid flowers near the Fraternal Memorial on the first day of their visit to Stepanakert. They have visited the “Menk Enk Mer Sarere” (Us and Our Mountains) monument in national costumes and are planning on leaving for Gandzasar and Shoushi tomorrow.

According to Avetisian, she and the members are very impressed with Artsakh and proud of the people of Artsakh.