LOS ANGELES—With a new twist on creating an unusual event, the Hamazkayin Heritage Committee hosted one of the most memorable and enjoyable evenings the Armenian community has seen with the first annual Masquerade Ball on the same day Armenians celebrate Paregentan.

“We wanted something different, entertaining and fun,” said Shoushig Arslanian, Chair of HHC and co-chair of the event, “where people could get dressed in costumes, enjoy delicious food and great music. All of that was accomplished and more.”

Many guests arrived in costumes and masks in spite of the inclement weather. After the cocktail party, the jovial crowd walked into the ballroom where the dance floor was covered with a misty fog. Lighting showcased the amazing stain glassed ceiling. Hovig Seraydarian, manager of the Taglyan Complex and his staff attended to every detail including serving a gourmet dinner.

Entertainment was provided by Paris Chansons, an orchestra with two vocalists whose repertoire included songs by Charles Aznavour. The dance floor was filled with happy couples all night long enjoying the wonderful music. This month, Paris Chansons has been invited to perform at the French Embassy in Washington, in conjunction with the Armenian Embassy to honor Charles Aznavour. They will also include several Armenian songs at this performance.

Lory Tatoulian, dressed in medieval costume, was mistress of ceremonies. She welcomed guests and introduced Lorraine Alexander who spoke briefly about the HHC Animation Series.

The series consists of 16 animations created by students of TUMO in Yerevan. Each animation will illuminate an Armenian folkloric tradition. The text and voice over can be in any language including Armenian, English and French depending on the primary language of the country. The animations will be sent to over 140 Armenian schools all over the world to teach students about Armenian heritage and traditions. The Board of Regents of Western Prelacy Armenian Schools which oversees all instructional materials is also supportive of this project.

The cost of producing and distributing each animation is $4,000. After viewing the pilot animation based on Paregentan, several people in the audience approached Arsho Aghjayan, co-chair of the event, and asked to sponsor a video. “We are delighted to announce we have six of the sixteen videos sponsored, “said Aghjayan. “I feel confident that as these videos get distributed to Armenian schools all over the world, people from Canada, South American, France and Lebanon will volunteer to be sponsors.

Seta Simonian, chair of Hamazkayin Western Regional Executive, thanked everyone for coming and encouraged everyone to support the project. “This is a very unique opportunity, one that will continue to have a profound impact on all of our students around the world. We are dedicated to preserving our Armenian heritage and the HHC Animation Series will be an integral part of that goal.”

For more information on how to support the HHC Animation Series please contact Shoushig Arslanian at shoarslan@aol.com.

http://asbarez.com/178167/hamazkayin-heritage-committee-masquerade-ball-exceeds-expectations/