From April 15 to 16, the “З�?Л” (Zil) Cultural Center in Moscow will host the 4^th HAYORDIK International Armenian Dance Festival. One of the supporters of the festival is the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

The goal of the festival is to convey the breath and spirit of patriotism to Armenians living abroad and instill in the souls of young Armenians national upbringing through the performances of Armenian dance groups established in various communities of the Armenian Diaspora.

“Since ancient times, folk songs and dances have been the symbol of our national unity. Even during wars, our brave soldiers have defended the native land to the sounds of musical instruments and by dancing the national Yarkhushta dance. With this festival, we Armenians living abroad decided to “struggle” for preservation of the Armenian culture and support creative groups, young people and cultural institutions and all those interested in the riches of national culture,” director of HAYORDIK International Armenian Dance Festival, founding artistic director of Hayordik (Sons of the Armenian nation) Armenian Dance Ensemble Anahit Sargsyan said in an interview with Hayern Aysor, adding that her dance ensemble’s Armenian Heritage Preservation Foundation also helps make the festival a success.

Anahit Sargsyan also informed that the 4^th HAYORDIK International Armenian Dance Festival will be held in the same format as the previous festivals. Singers from Armenia will perform folk songs, and a highly professional jury will rate the performances of the participating dance groups and determine the winners of the festival-competition.

By establishing her dance group in 1991, performer of national songs, dancer Anahit Sargsyan tried to follow in the footsteps of her deceased friends and keep their memory alive through song and dance. She called the dance group “Hayordik” (Sons of the Armenian nation) in memory of national hero and participant of the Artsakh war Tatul Krpeyan and the other deceased men.

After moving to Moscow, she reestablished the group in 1998 with the purpose of helping young Armenians become familiar with Armenian culture and maintain the spirit of patriotism.

Gevorg Chichyan