AZG Armenian Daily #088, 09/05/2008
Culture, Social
SHUSHI TO CELEBRATE ITS 15TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A GALA DINNER DANCE
With great excitement, The Shushi Armenian Dance Ensemble will
celebrate its 15th Anniversary with a Gala Dinner Dance, on Friday,
May 30, 2008, at St. Vartan Cathedral, NYC. In addition, plans for a
celebratory trip, aboard the Armenian Heritage Cruise, are also well
underway, for January, 2008. These eagerly anticipated events mark
Shushi’s continued success in perpetuating the dance of our Armenian
culture, for the preservation of the Armenian heritage for future
generations, along with its success in its extensive exposure of
Armenian dance and music, to non-Armenian audiences. To date, the
ensemble has had the opportunity to perform in numerous prestigious
cultural events in New York, New Jersey, Boston, California,
Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, as well as in Canada, Armenia and
Karabagh.
Shushi, founded in 1992, by Seta Paskalian-Kantardjian, the group’s
artistic director and choreographer, began with a few members, and has
evolved, today, into a group of 110 young (89 female, and 21 male)
dancers. The celebration of Shushi’s anniversary is truly a
celebration of the extraordinary accomplishments of Seta
Paskalian-Kantardjian who, through countless hours of her volunteered
time over the past fifteen years, continues to demonstrate her
tremendous dedication to our Armenian youth, and relentless drive to
enable them to maintain their heritage and identity.
Likewise, Shushi will be greatly honored by the attendance of
Mr. Vartan Abdo, as keynote speaker, at their May 30 Gala. Mr. Abdo is
the founder/director of the Armenian Radio Hour of NJ. He was born in
Jaffa, Israel, and moved to the US, in 1973, to further his
studies. He studied at Seton Hall University, majoring in
Mathematics. He is a full time associate professor of
Mathematics/Statistics at Union County College, Cranford, NJ and an
adjunct professor of mathematics at Seton Hall University, South
Orange, NJ. He has served the church as an ordained deacon and is
active in numerous Armenian organizations. His work within the
community was recognized by a `Gontag’ from His Holiness Karekin
II. He is married to Adrine Abdo, and lives in South Orange, NJ.
Mr. Abdo is a pioneer in our Armenian community, for his outstanding
work, over the past 30 years, in enlightening and informing our
community of relevant historical and current events, via the Armenian
Radio Hour of NJ. He has faithfully recognized and supported the
Armenian youth, including Shushi, since its inception.
We sincerely hope that you will join Shushi at its celebratory gala on
Fri, May 30, 2008 (cocktail hour at 7:30pm, dinner and program,
featuring Shushi dancers, 8:30 pm), and support its fundraising
efforts, including the group’s monumental opportunity to perform at
the Opera House in Armenia, on July 3, 2008.
For reservations: Marie Zokian (201)745-8850
By Karen Saraydarian-Arslanian