As students, families and alumni alike entered the Trojan Grand Ballroom to celebrate Armenian Heritage Month, they were greeted by a vibrant gallery of students’ art made to honor their heritage. The lights began to dim, and cheers echoed through the room as the performances — including traditional songs, dance and poetry in Armenian — began. 

The Armenian Students’ Association celebrated the inaugural Armenian Heritage Month of April Tuesday evening with a cultural showcase , featuring student and community performers who honored Armenian culture. 

“Every single performance kept your attention. It was great to see the Armenian community come together,” said Rebecca Agazaryan, a sophomore majoring in accounting who attended the event.

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“This is the first Armenian History Month [at USC], so it’s super special,” said Lilit Berikyan, a sophomore majoring in business administration. “It’s really lovely to see younger generations bringing back classics.”

One performer, Kees, a Thornton School of Music alum, played a cover of a popular Armenian song, “Tun Im Hayreni” by Arabo Ispiryan, in her own style. A video of her singing this same song went viral on TikTok, reaching both the non-Armenian and Armenian community.

Another performer, Solange Aguero, a junior majoring in English as well as narrative studies, performed a spoken word poem in Armenian about the country’s politics and history.

“A lot of Armenian history is riddled with misconceptions,” Aguero said. “Part of my poem was talking about the importance of using the correct name for something in order to correct that history.” 

Haig Kaymakamian, who performed traditional Armenian music with Kevin Kioumejyan, used instruments such as duduk, shvi and zurna — woodwinds that are traditionally used in Armenian music. These instruments have been used in Armenian culture since the fifth century.

Agazaryan said her favorite part of the event was a traditional dance performance by Ara Dance Studio, a traditional Armenian dance group part of Ara Dance Cultural Center, which “strives to enrich and preserve the Armenian culture in the diaspora.”  

The dance it performed, known as shalaxo or shalakho, typically features multiple men dancing for the favor of one or many women. In Ara Dance Studio’s version, four men moved rapidly across the stage to win the favor of the central woman, dressed in a vibrant red dress and played by Sophia Chorbajian, a senior majoring in business administration who also serves as the cultural chair for the Armenian Students’ Association.

Agazaryan said she would continue to go to more events hosted by the Armenian Students’ Association in honor of Armenian Heritage Month, including the “Aurora’s Sunrise” (2022) screening and discussion April 17 and an Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Vigil that will be held at UCLA on April 24. 

“I just hope that this [celebration] is the first but not the last, and this can continue as the years go on,” Agazaryan said.