Smiles, laughter and dance erupted in Hahn Plaza on Tuesday as traditional Armenian dancers pulled the audience in to join. Students and dancers formed a circle, clapping along as people took turns dancing in the center. The dancers, dressed in royal blue and red taraz, had just finished their performance before bringing students to continue the performance. 

“Too often, the Armenian story is told through the lens of tragedy alone. And while our history undeniably includes profound loss, it is also a story of rebuilding, of creativity and of enduring strength,” said Lori Gaboudian, president of the USC Armenian Student Association. “For every narrative of displacement, there are countless others of rebirth, leadership and success. Here at USC, that excellence is evident everywhere.”

The USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies and ASA kicked off its third annual recognized celebration of Armenian History Month with an opening ceremony Tuesday, full of dancing, traditional music and a recollection of Armenian history. About 50 people attended, gathering around Armenian rugs hung on display.

Gaboudian, a senior majoring in legal studies, opened the celebration with a short speech welcoming students to the ceremony. In her remarks, she said she was glad for the continued collaboration between the Institute of Armenian Studies and ASA, which she said allows Armenian students to reflect on Armenian history and to continue to look ahead at what the community has achieved.

“Just a few years ago, this moment did not exist. What began as a vision rooted in the desire for recognition, visibility and belonging has now become a lasting tradition on this campus,” Gaboudian said during her remarks. “Welcome to Armenian History Month.”

Provost Andrew Guzman followed Gaboudian with a speech and said that due to USC’s location in Los Angeles — the county with the largest Armenian American population — the Armenian diaspora has planted its roots on campus for over a century, both through the contributions of Armenian donors such as Ronald Tutor and through the work of the Institute of Armenian Studies.

“Today, on this campus, the Armenian Student Association carries the tradition of Armenian students here at USC forward,” Guzman said during his remarks. “They don’t just attend USC. Just like their predecessors, they invest in USC and they build USC generation after generation.”

April 1 marked the 21st anniversary of the opening of the Institute of Armenian Studies. The Institute focuses on showcasing contemporary Armenian history through research opportunities and courses in Armenian studies, as well as hosting events aimed at engaging the rest of the University community, like the Armenian History Month celebration, according to its website.

Margarita Baghdasaryan, associate director of the Institute and the final speaker at the event, said this engagement is at the core of the Institute’s goal to bring in any student, scholar or community member curious about Armenian history.

“As we celebrate Armenian History Month, we are not only looking back, we are looking forward, forward to new questions, new voices and new ways of connecting Armenian studies to the world around us,” Baghdasaryan said during her remarks.

The opening speeches were followed by traditional Armenian performances. Hrachuhi Harutyunyan, a musician, took to the stage to play a few Armenian songs on the qanun, a Middle Eastern string instrument. Students from the Armenian Gevorkian Dance Academy took to the plaza as the crowd clapped along as groups of male and female dancers took turns performing traditional Armenian dances including kochari, a line dance, and the yarkhushta, which features high kicks and synchronized war cries. 

The audience clapped along through the performance before the two groups of dancers came together and then moved towards the audience, pulling attendees into a circle to dance together. 

“I really love the dance number. It really just shows through the energy that Armenians share with each other and the connection that we have to our heritage,” said Alec Mnatzakanian, a student who helped plan the celebration for ASA and a senior majoring in aerospace engineering. 

Along with the opening ceremony, the Institute of Armenian Studies and ASA will host celebrations throughout the month for students to learn more about Armenian history and culture. There will be weekly events on Thursdays, like a workshop on Armenian folklore, for students to celebrate until the end of the month.

“Armenian culture is not just present in Los Angeles. It’s not just preserved in Los Angeles. It is part of Los Angeles. It is alive, growing and shaping our city, both in the past and in the present,” Guzman said in his remarks. “That same energy is alive here at USC.”