Armenian Performers Stranded in Southland

Armen Gregorian, lead dancer of the Armenian National Ballet, will never forget the finale of last weekend’s performance at the Wiltern Theater.

One moment he was gliding across the stage as if his feet were on wheels, drawing a thunder of applause and a standing ovation. The next minute, behind the curtain, another dancer was whispering in his ear that they were stranded in America because the show’s promoter had run out of money and couldn’t buy their tickets back to Armenia.

“I was hysterical,” Gregorian said. “Los Angeles is a good place to visit, but it’s too rushed to stay here. And I’m not really into the whole hamburger thing.”

Since that performance Sunday, Gregorian and 30 other ballet and opera performers have been marooned at a Days Inn in Glendale, waiting for well-wishers to raise money to send them home, with about 112 of their fellow artists scattered among private homes.

Of all places in America for Armenians to be stuck, Glendale may be the best. Home to many new immigrants and Armenian Americans, a quarter of its population speaks Armenian. There’s no shortage of Armenian restaurants, bookstores or even Armenian barber shops.

To this community the stranded troupe turned for help, which came quickly. Armenian community leaders say they have raised $30,000 so far through a telethon on the all-Armenian cable channel, Armenian Wireless.

Dozens of Glendale families have taken in performers who had to leave the Days Inn because they couldn’t pay their bills. And some dancers and musicians have already returned to their homeland, thanks to the generosity of strangers.

Glendale police said Friday they are investigating the promoter, Greg Petrosian.

The State Department is also looking into a report that Petrosian may have smuggled nonperformers into the U.S.

The visit was based on a promising idea: Bring Armenia’s top performing artists to the part of the United States with the most inhabitants of Armenian descent--more than 300,000 in Southern California--and book the biggest venues.

But Petrosian, a Van Nuys translator turned promoter, said he overestimated ticket sales and underestimated travel expenses for the 172-member troupe.

In an interview, Petrosian took full responsibility for the debacle, acknowledging he made a string of poor business decisions but denying he did anything illegal.

Glendale police officers interviewed several troupe members Friday “to determine if there are any criminal aspects or evidence of criminal intent,” said Chahe Keuroghelian, a department spokesman.

American diplomats in Armenia are also looking into allegations that Petrosian may have smuggled Armenians into the United States, said State Department spokeswoman Maria Rudensky.

When he heard that the troupe was stranded, Archbishop Vaeche Hovsepian, head of the West Coast branch of the Armenian Apostolic church of America, called a number of local families to help in hosting performers who could no longer afford to stay at the Days Inn. A line of cars as long as a funeral procession materialized in front of the motel Tuesday.

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Rodney Tanaka of the Glendale News-Press contributed to this story.