Anahid Sofian is an internationally recognized dancer and choreographer specializing in dances of the Near and Middle East . Over a career that spans four decades, she has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, the Museum of Modern Art , the Uris Theatre on Broadway and the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.
In 1972, Ms. Sofian opened her studio in New York City, and in 1979 she formed her dance company, which made its professional debut at Carnegie Hall and has been featured at Avery Fisher Hall, Town Hall, the Cleveland Museum of Art and at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts for the past 18 years. Under Ms. Sofian’s leadership, the company has been a standard setter in the field of middle eastern dance and has been acclaimed for its versatility and ability to perform in a wide range of styles, from the traditional to contemporary interpretations.
Passage through Light and Shadows, a dance-drama theatre project, was a major artistic departure for Ms. Sofian. Born to survivors of the Armenian Genocide, Ms. Sofian’s artistic aim was to honor her heritage and provide insight into an ancient and rich culture through its dance, music, poetry, art, architecture, religion and folklore. On a universal level, this work was also about endurance, maintaining self and identity, and transcending extreme adversity.
To accomplish her artistic vision, Ms. Sofian has woven together traditional dance forms, natural movement and elements found in western compositional forms. She utilized dramatic content, the spoken word and creative video projections.
Ms. Sofian is honored to have had Gagik Karapetian of the Armenian State Ensemble as a guest choreographer, and Joyce Tamesian-Shenloogian Artistic Director of the Antranig Dance Ensemble as a consultant on her project. Jeffrey Lewonczyk of the Brick Theatre was the Associate Director, Joseph Spirito of The Castillo Theatre / All Stars Project was the scenic designer, Jeremy Haik of the Maryland Institute College of Art provided the videographic elements, Kia Rogers was the Lighting Designer and costumes were by Meganne George. The production was presented at the beautiful off-Broadway Theatre of St. Clements Episcopal Church in New York City.
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Special Added Feature
Screening Dates at the Theatre of St. Clement's Episcopal Church were held:
Saturdays, October 23 and 30, 4:00pm
The Anahid Sofian Company along with the Armenian National Committee of NY and NJ and the Near East Foundation presented a special screening of the long-lost 1919 silent film, Ravished Armenia, in conjunction with the Company's production, Passage through Light and Shadows.
Ravished Armenia was the personal account by Aurora (Arshaluys) Mardiganian of the deportations and murder of the Armenian people by the Turkish Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1918. Mardiganian's memoir, Ravished Armenia, also known as Auction of Souls, was first published in 1918, shortly after her arrival in the U.S. The film version was produced in 1919, and both the book and movie created a considerable stir throughout the Western world. The full-length motion picture is believed to be lost, but a 21-minute segment from the full-length motion picture has been recently recovered.
A distinguished panel discussed the film:
-Shant Mardirossian, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Near East Foundation,
-James Sahagian of The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) - NJ,
-Dr. Antonia Lant, Chairman of the Dept. of Cinema Studies at NYU
Times of performances:
Fri. Oct. 22, 8:00pm
Sat. Oct. 23, 8:00 pm
Sun. Oct. 24, 3:00pm
Weds. Oct. 27, 7:30pm
Thurs. Oct. 28, 7:30pm
Fri. Oct. 29, 8:00pm
Sat. Oct. 30, 8:00pm
Sun. Oct. 31, 3:00pm
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