Letter 38: To dance is to know you're alive: A film by Bars Media

These are the links to the trailer of a new movie, about to be released by “Bars Media” in Yerevan: https://vimeo.com/53414030, and this one too: http://vimeo.com/62644284.

We met Vardan Hovhannisyan, the manager of Bars Media http://barsmedia.am/, in 2002, when we first began our volunteer work in Yerevan. He gave us the keys to their small studio on Orbeli St. on our first meeting, so that I can teach folk dances to our volunteers and other interested 'repats'. Vardan himself joined us for the lessons and learned to dance with us.

Vardan is a former Karabagh war journalist and war prisoner whose studio has produced many other movies, notably, “A Story of People in War and Peace”, a film about the Karabagh war; “ The Last Tightrope Dancer in Armenia” and the hilariously interesting “Donkeymentary” about the island of Lamu in the Indian Ocean off of the Kenyan coast.

Later in 2002, our son Toros came for a visit and was immediately recruited by Bars Media to help promote and market several new movies they had produced. He loved working with the team.

Toros and I recently visited Vardan and his family and he thought I would be interested in this dance movie. I was of course delighted when I watched the trailer.

The movie is a true story about a dance teacher who was visiting a soup kitchen in Yerevan. She started talking to these depressed old folks and decided she would try and up-lift their spirit by teaching them folk dances… She performed a miracle, as we can see.

These trailers bring so much happiness to my heart every time I watch them; I think of the power of dance, music, and culture to enrich the connections between us. 

            To dance is to know you're alive! Enjoy!

            Hugs to all from the top of our mountain... Come and join us!

Antoine S. Terjanian

Went there to dance

To see our dance gatherings on top of our mountain clic on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUrCQacv1AU     and on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spkXVw92TOQ  and on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMA1PWp6Vmw  and on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aterjanian/sets/72157600803349340/  and on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aterjanian/sets/72157600803351014/