Stranded Armenian Dance Troupe Seeks Money to Get Back Home

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

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 ran out of money and could not 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.

Armenian community leaders say that 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 could not afford to remain at the Days Inn. And some dancers and musicians have returned to their homeland, thanks to the generosity of strangers.

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

The State Department is also looking into a report that Petrosian may have smuggled nonperformers into the United States, said department spokeswoman Maria Rudensky.

Petrosian conceded in an interview that he planned the trip poorly and made a string of poor decisions. But he denied he did anything illegal.

Petrosian said he is now without money, at least $70,000 in debt, and feels remorse about the outcome of the visit, the first to the United States for Armenia’s National Opera and Ballet.

In an immigrant community that prides itself on being industrious and independent, many say that they are embarrassed by what has occurred.

“These are the most talented, most famous artists from our homeland and they’ve been made to beg for a ticket home,” said Armen Azizian, who is hosting three of the performers in his Glendale home. “‘No one understands how this happened.”

As soon as 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 Glendale families for help in hosting the performers. A line of cars as long as a funeral procession materialized in front of the motel Tuesday.

Community leaders rented out Beyond the Stars Palace in Glendale for a last-minute fund-raiser. The ballet dancers crammed onto a tiny stage and performed vignettes from longer shows, often with dancers spilling into the wings.

That event--the only sold-out show of the visit--raised $7,000, sending more than 30 performers home to Armenia.

The rest are still waiting.

Some don’t mind that.

“I was happy to go back to Sizzler again,” said Nicholai Khachatryan, a trumpet player.

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