Armenian Culture Shared As A Window to the World
February 3, 2006
Burbank Weekly
By Jennifer MacDonald
Armenian culture was shared through traditional storytelling and dance at the Burbank Public Library on Saturday, as the first in a three part series called “Window to the World” to promote cultural awareness.
The event was funded by Friends of the Burbank Public Library and organized by the Burbank chapter of the Armenian National Committee (ANC).
About 100 boys and girls, and adults, mostly of Armenian descent, enjoyed the event that was meant to educate children about Armenian heritage and instill tolerance for other cultures.
[...]
After the program, children could be seen lined up beside their parents, books in hand, in the check out line in the children’s section of the library.
Not only children came to the Armenian cultural occasion, teenagers who were interested in its traditions and history also attended.
[...]
Alidz Agbabian, a traditional Armenian storyteller and author, told four stories that incorporated songs and chants in Armenian that the audience was encouraged to participate in.
She used props like the Armenian bread “lavash” and told the stories in a mixture of English and Armenian. Agbabian said Armenian and non-Armenian children, as well as adults can enjoy her stories and learn valuable lessons from them.
[...]
Agbabian’s storytelling was a favorite among the audience members but the traditional Armenian dancing kept the crowd’s attention too.
The Ara Dance Studio dancer performed three traditional Armenian dances to music that included instruments like the drums and a “duduk”, a flute type instrument.
The audience clapped to the beat of the music and carefully studied the dancers as they performed the dances in brilliantly colored costumes.
[...]
Paul Krekorian, president of the Burbank Board of Education, shared a few words during the program about the need to preserve culture and make it available to everyone.
“Over 60 languages are spoken in the Burbank school district,” Krekorian said. “One of the things I’ve learned is that great art transcends all barriers of language and culture.”
[...]
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Burbank Weekly
By Jennifer MacDonald
Armenian culture was shared through traditional storytelling and dance at the Burbank Public Library on Saturday, as the first in a three part series called “Window to the World” to promote cultural awareness.
The event was funded by Friends of the Burbank Public Library and organized by the Burbank chapter of the Armenian National Committee (ANC).
About 100 boys and girls, and adults, mostly of Armenian descent, enjoyed the event that was meant to educate children about Armenian heritage and instill tolerance for other cultures.
[...]
After the program, children could be seen lined up beside their parents, books in hand, in the check out line in the children’s section of the library.
Not only children came to the Armenian cultural occasion, teenagers who were interested in its traditions and history also attended.
[...]
Alidz Agbabian, a traditional Armenian storyteller and author, told four stories that incorporated songs and chants in Armenian that the audience was encouraged to participate in.
She used props like the Armenian bread “lavash” and told the stories in a mixture of English and Armenian. Agbabian said Armenian and non-Armenian children, as well as adults can enjoy her stories and learn valuable lessons from them.
[...]
Agbabian’s storytelling was a favorite among the audience members but the traditional Armenian dancing kept the crowd’s attention too.
The Ara Dance Studio dancer performed three traditional Armenian dances to music that included instruments like the drums and a “duduk”, a flute type instrument.
The audience clapped to the beat of the music and carefully studied the dancers as they performed the dances in brilliantly colored costumes.
[...]
Paul Krekorian, president of the Burbank Board of Education, shared a few words during the program about the need to preserve culture and make it available to everyone.
“Over 60 languages are spoken in the Burbank school district,” Krekorian said. “One of the things I’ve learned is that great art transcends all barriers of language and culture.”
[...]
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 11:54 AM
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