AZG Armenian Daily #180, 21/09/2006

Culture

"GEGHARD" REPRESENTS ARMENIAN DANCE IN FESTIVAL IN
GREECE

On August 21-28, the Ninth International Dance
Festival took place in Agrinion, Greece. Various folk
dance groups from dozens of countries arrive in Greece
every summer to participate in the festival. Agrinion
becomes a capital of culture where representatives of
different cultures have the chance to cooperate.

This year, dance groups from Armenia, Greece, Moldova,
Poland, Russia, Georgia, Italy, Czech Republic and
from other countries perform their folk dances at the
festival. Armenia is represented by "Geghard" folk
dance group at the festival. The dance group is well
known in Syria, Jordan, France, Egypt, Bulgaria, Iraq
and elsewhere. The dance group was established 25
years ago and managed to win many prizes and diplomas.

The Armenian dancers were perfectly prepared for the
festival and won the hearts of the foreign art lovers.
They performed "kochari," "shalakho," "shatakhin and
other Armenian dances at the festival.

Albert Kizirian, the founder and the leader of
"Geghard," emphasized the importance of participating
in such festivals from the viewpoints of cultural
cooperation and the international recognition of the
Armenian culture.

By Gayane Khachatrian