Levon Taberyan: Using Modern Dance Based on Armenian Culture

As far as I know Hai Dance was the first Armenian initiative in Istanbul in the scene of contemporary dance. What kind of difficulties did you have in composing your company?

Yes, Hai Dance was the first Armenian modern dance ensemble in Istanbul. We developed widely-appreciated projects with 14 dancers who stayed true to their amateur spirit while drawing on their extensive dance background. The most difficult part was this not being a source of income in Turkey. It was nearly impossible to find a sponsor or society to back the project in the beginning. Prospective sponsors wanted to see the end-product and then dedicate a budget to it, which meant that we would need to develop the entire project using our own means for two years, and then apply for support.

My colleagues put their faith in me and got involved with an amateur spirit. We felt rhythm of the music in our veins and that was our key takeaway. We made sure to work with an Armenian nongovernmental organization and ascribe social responsibility to everything we did.

Moving beyond traditional folk dances and using modern dance to narrate a subject, feeling or music was a fresh breath for viewers. It is always difficult to step outside the conventional. We had initiated a new era not just with modern dance, but with the music we used as well. We danced to works by Vangelis, the prodigy of New Age music, as well as Jean Michel Jarre and Kitaro. Armenian and Turkish viewers were always appreciative and supportive, which is the best payoff we could have ever had.

Who are your dancers?

Dance was my greatest passion since I was a child. I used to watch ballet on TV all day long as early as five or six. I paid attention to music, the bodies, and the narrative language. I tried to grasp the feeling. It was Levon in Wonderland back then. Being part of a magical world was utterly unbelievable. As a teenager, I realized that I was more capable of expressing my feelings through bodily movements. And music was the source of all this.

My dancers are people who share these feelings and are just as passionate as myself. They love dancing to the rhythm of music and expressing their feelings through their bodies.

Our ensemble consists of people who practice folk dancing or are trained ballet performers. Most are married with children; all have day jobs. We meet after work three times a week to practice. We have great fun while we work. I guess that is the secret: having fun while you work. It is the capability to dream, to remain a child. But of course, hard work must always be there.

How you provide the so-called national character in your movements? Are they some taboos that you put in front of you consciously?

The ethnic nature of the subjects I deal with guide me. I design dance according to the subject and music. For example, in Gomidas İNÇU and Anush Olmak, I blended the music of Armenian composers with the emotions inherent in folk dances to bring a modern take on the subject, while in Hai Dance I opted for a more universal dance and narrative that used New Age music.

My new project is an amalgamation of the two. I use the duduk pieces of the world’s best Armenian composers together with modern and universal pieces. The dance keeps up with this and sways from the traditional and folkloric to the modern and contemporary.

When I design a project, the story I pick immediately brings the music as well. The story and the music guide my movements, and choreography takes shape.

I enjoy being free, unique, and getting carried away on my dreams.

How would you appreciate the role of your wife, dancer Karin Karaoglan’s role in your art?

Karin is in an altogether different dimension. She is full of challenging, extreme and ethereal ideas. It is difficult to work with her. I prefer to stay true to our conventions and essence, but she is always after the extremes. Conflicting thoughts and opinions, and brainstorming open up the doors to being the best.

Karin also worked with Christie Broadback for many years; she both danced and trained in depicting the project narrative onstage. Her training and her worldview in dance guide us. She converts the feeling of the choreography I develop into visuals on the stage. Out of the blue, she can call for doubling or even trebling our dance movements, or freezing everything all of a sudden. She may come up with something like, add some wind into this scene, and it suddenly becomes our nightmare! Joking aside, Karin is a great dancer and is excellent at depicting emotions.

I have other guardian angels that remain anonymous. They are very special people who have utmost confidence in what I do. I have a great team. And all of it is teamwork; without that, there is no success.

Did you have any opportunity to perform for other Armenian communities and Armenia?

We were not able to perform in Armenia because we are a large group and most of us have families and jobs. But we did perform in many venues across Turkey. We took part in culture and art festivals. We also made numerous performances on invitation.

This year all Armenians celebrate the 150^th anniversary of two its geniuses, Hovhannes Tumanyan and Komitas Vartabed. You staged both Anush ballet based on Tumanyan’s poem in 1988 and Gomidas. Are you going to remember them this year again?

Since we are developing a new project, we have rehearsals three days a week, and work on costume, lighting, sound and setting in the rest of the week. We would stretch ourselves too thin if we were to start another project now. Nevertheless, I would be delighted to contribute to a project that pays homage to Hovhannes Tumanyan and Gomidas Vartabed.