Gracefully bridging cultural differences through dance
By JOYCE RUDOLPH

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
Sept 11 2004

GLENDALE – Anna Djanbazian wants to share the beauty of her Armenian
culture with others, especially young people, in hopes that it brings
harmony to the whole community.

That’s the purpose of her newly formed Djanbazian Foundation, which
is sponsoring the Los Angeles premiere of her contemporary ballet
based on the life of Armenian musical figure Komitas, who lived from
1869 to 1935.

He was a priest as well as a composer, conductor and teacher,
Djanbazian said. He collected and notated more than 4,000 traditional
songs and instrumental works. Following the Armenian Genocide in 1915,
he suffered a mental breakdown and stopped archiving his work and
few examples of it remain, she added.

Djanbazian has choreo- graphed dances to 20 of his works. The ballet,
in two acts with three scenes in each, will be performed by more than
25 of her company’s dancers. Two other guest artists performing are
Arsen Serobian, who will portray Komitas, and David Hovhannisyan,
who will dance several other parts in the ballet.

In the dances, Djanbazian is portraying the artist as a human being,
she said.

“Everybody knows he was a priest, he was a very saintly man, [but]
at same time, he was a human being and artist, who tried to separate
foreign melodies from the basic Armenian music,” she said.

In some scenes, Djanbazian shows the artist as he was creating the
melodies and the melodies are dancing around him.

“Komitas lived for his people,” she said. “So, in the second act,
you see more of what happened to his people and how he was affected
by the (tragic things) that happened to these people.”

Following the genocide, she said, Komitas separated himself from his
real life and was committed to an asylum for many years.

“But, people got stronger and stood on their feet because of his work,”
she added.

Djanbazian believes that by presenting history through dance and music,
it will help break down the barriers between the different cultures
in Glendale, especially among the youth.

“We are all living together everyday, why not get involved in each
other’s culture,” she said. “We will respect each other and live
together calmer and with respect.”

Djanbazian is continuing the 62-year dance academy tradition started
by her father Sarkis Djanbazian who was a ballet master in Russia.
She came to the United States from Iran in 1984 and began the
Djanbazian Dance Company in 2002.

“Komitas – Krung Bnaver (Banished – but not forgotten),” continues
at 8 tonight and 5 p.m. Sunday at the Glendale Community College
Theatre, 1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale. Artist and historian Arto
Tchakmakchian will present an optional pre-show lecture on Komitas’
life at 7:15 tonight and 4:15 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $20 to
$40. For reservations, call 580-2170.