HARTFORD, Conn. — The Hye Hearts Dance is set to take place on Saturday, January 27, at 8 p.m. at the Marriott Hartford/Windsor Airport Hotel in Windsor, Connecticut, 28 Day Hill Road.
This is the fourth Hye Hearts Dance, last taking place in 2019 prior to the COVID pandemic. This year’s event is hosted by the Tri-City Armenian Cultural Committee, consisting of the Armenian churches of Greater Hartford and Western Massachusetts – St. George of Hartford, CT, St. Gregory of Indian Orchard, MA, Holy Resurrection of New Britain, CT, St. Mark of Springfield, MA, and St. Stephen’s of New Britain.
Half of the proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to help refugees from Artsakh.
Hundreds of Armenians and those from the area have attended past Hye Hearts, dancing to the sounds of both a live Armenian band and a DJ. The band will feature Harry Bedrossian on oud and vocals, Leon Janikian on clarinet, Bruce Gigargian on guitar, and Charlie Dermenjian on dumbeg, and DJ Impossible will play popular American and Armenian music.
The goal of the dance committee is to ensure that Armenian cultural traditions will continue into the future. The committee believes that keeping traditions alive is important so that we teach the next generation about our shared past.
The Hye Hearts Dance, which has traditionally taken place around the time of Valentine’s Day, is also named in honor of Saint Sarkis, the beloved Armenian Patron Saint of love and youth. According to tradition, on the eve of the feast of Saint Sarkis, young people eat salty biscuits and refrain from drinking water, so as to induce the appearance of their future bride or bridegroom in their dreams, bringing them water. Named Saint Sarkis Aghablit, this sweet pastry is widely eaten in Armenian communities to symbolize the blessings brought by the Saint.
