Discover Armenian, Persian and Roma culture in Yerevan.

Together with the Armenian Youth Center from Yerevan, Simona Jović and Helene Eriksen invite you to Armenia to discover the Persian, Armenian and Romani culture. There will be dance workshops with Helene Eriksen (Persian dance), Armenian artists (Armenian dances) and Simona Jović (Roma dances). Includes cultural visits, discovering of the city of Yerevan and other surprises! More details online very soon. In the meantime, you can get more information by contacting info@...

This trip takes place immediately before Helene's Istanbul Tour...so come to both and save on time and airfare!

Our Itinerary

April 21st – Arrival and discovering of the city of Yerevan
Arrival. All the participants will be welcomed at the airport and transferred to the hotel. For our stay in Yerevan, we have chosen the 3 star Bass Hotel, located in the prestigious Aigedzor district in the heart of the capital. This garden-like hotel sits away from busy traffic and quietly overlooks beautiful Mt.Ararat. It is conveniently located just around the corner from the subway and not far from the city center. The sauna with an indoor pool is free of charge for hotel guests as well as the fresh fruits in the lobby. For more information about the hotel, do not hesitate to visit their website:www.bass.am
In the evening, when everyone arrives, we will have a walk together and start exploring the city of Yerevan.

April 22nd – Introduction to Persian dance
Helene Eriksen will be teaching wonderful Persian dance as the opening workshop of our beautiful 20-hour workshop-series that we will be offering you during your stay in Armenia. This workshop will be for 2 1/2 hours in the morning. In the afternoon a local Armenian dancer and her musicians will join us for 3 hours to introduce us to the music, rhythms and dances of Armenia. Our goal for this trip is to explore and discover the everyday life of Armenians and not just have a superficial touristic experience. And so we have chosen a dance studio in the center of town which we will travel to by metro! In the evening you will be free to explore Yerevan on your own or simply enjoy the sauna or the indoor pool of the hotel!

April 23rd – Persian and Armenian dance workshops
In the morning, Helene will continue teaching Persian dance. In the afternoon, our Armenian artist will join us again for 2 hours. The Armenian dance heritage is one of the oldest, richest and most Itinerary varied in the Near East. In this workshop will be taught the women dances of Armenia, which are very graceful and lyrical and express the natural pride of Armenian women. In the evening we will take you to one of the many places in Yerevan with traditional live music.

April 24th – Yerevan city tour and Tsitsernakaberd
Our partners from the Armenian Youth Center will take us for the whole day on a city tour of Yerevan. We will discover the richness of one of the oldest cities in the world (its origins are in the 8th century B.C.) with a local guide. We will visit Republic Square, the Opera House, Matenadaran, the Cascade, Mother Armenia & Victory Park, Surp Grigor Lusavorich Cathedral and more! After lunch in a traditional restaurant (included in the price), we will go to Tsitsernakaberd. On the April 24th, people from all around Armenia come to Tsitsernakaberd, a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915 during the last years of the Ottoman Empire. We are lucky to be there on that day and share this important moment with Armenian people from around the world!

April 25th – Introduction to Čoček, rroma dance from southern Balkans
This morning, Simona Jović will introduce her Rroma dance workshop (2 1/2 hours). She will be teaching Čoček, a Rroman dance from southern Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania. In the afternoon, the Armenian music and dance workshop will continue. (3hours)
In the evening, we will have a drink or dinner in a restaurant with the live traditional music.

April 26th – Village tour + lunch with the locals
Our trip to Armenian isn’t only about dancing. By taking you to Armenia, we want you to discover the real life of the Armenian people: how they live, what is their religion, how they cook, what are their traditions, etc. This day will be perfect for that. Our partners from the Armenian Youth Center will take us to the heart of the country, to Ashtarak and the surrounding villages. We will visit some well known monasteries and most importantly; we will meet local people and have lunch with them!

April 27th – The last day of the Rroma and Armenian workshops
One more day with a lot of dance...unfortunately the last one. In the morning, we will work on Rroma dance and in the afternoon on Armenian dance. In the evening we will have a farewell party! We will go all together to a nice venue with music and share a moment (and maybe some dancing!) with our Armenian artists and organizers.

April 28th – Departure
In the morning, I hope we will find a moment to talk all together about our Armenian experiences, take group photos and exchange contact information. After that, all the participants will be transferred to the airport.

DATES: APRIL 21-28, 2009
COST: 995 Euros with dance workshops,
795 Euros without dance workshops
INCLUDED: Transfers airport/hotel/airport • Accommodation in the 3 star Bass Hotel near the city center (double occupancy) • Breakfasts everyday and lunch on April 24th and April 26th • Excursion to Ashatarak and other villages in the heart of Armenia by minibus, including lunch with the local people • Yerevan city tour with a local guide in a minibus. Visits of Republic Square, Tsitsernakaberd, Opera House, Matenadaran, Cascade, Mother Armenia&Victory Park, Surp Grigor Lusavorich Cathedral. Lunch in an Armenian traditional restaurant included. • 5 hours Persian dance workshop with Helene Eriksen • 5 hours Balkan Rroma dance workshop with Simona Jovicć • 10 hours Armenian dance workshop with local Armenian
dancers and musicians
NOT INCLUDED: airfare, airport taxes, travel insurance,
visa, transportation in the city (except the Yerevan and village tour), drinks and other meals than those mentioned above, tips
REGISTRATION: Email Helene for registration information.