Exclusive concert of the dance ensemble "Maral" in the town. Istanbul, Turkey is held at the invitation of the Arax Foundation on 16 October, Sunday, at 17.00 in the Boris Hristov House of Culture.  

The Maral Ensemble was founded in 1980 by Benon Kuzupasi and his friends in Anatolia Province, Turkey, to promote Armenian folklore through dance and choral art.  The series of performances, which began in 1981 with a group of 300 people, continued until 1986 and ended with the untimely death of Benon Kuzupashi.

In 1992, in order to reach out to new generations with an entirely new line-up, the dance couple Garbis and Iris Chapkan, who were part of the first line-up of the Maral Dance Group, were appointed choreographers and became part of the Maral Dance Group Board of Directors.

Since then they have been performing on stage in the country and abroad. Repeated visits to Armenia at the invitation of the Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hagopian, participation in festivals: "One Nation One Culture" with a dance group of 50 people; participation in the opening of the 5th Pan-Armenian Games in Armenia, which ended with a distinction awarded by the Ministry of Culture in Armenia. Numerous performances on the native stage, some of them dedicated to the "Essayan Sanut" union, concerts in support of the Ataturk Girls Foundation.

With the participation of the soloist of Istanbul State Opera, soprano Alice Manukyan and pianist Levon Eroyan, they had two performances - on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the "Essayan Sanuts" union and the 200th anniversary of the construction of the Holy Trinity Church in Beyoglu.

In 2008. The Maral Dance Group also attracted the attention of foreigners with its success at the UNESCO International Dance Ceremony held in Istanbul.

The dance troupe is also joined by solo singers. In July 2019, within the framework of the program "Plovdiv - European Capital of Culture", at the invitation of "Arax" Foundation from Plovdiv, "Maral" Dance Group participated in the song and dance festival "Hello, Armenia!".

Today the dancers, singers and their leaders in the person of Garbis and Iris Chapkan are preparing to finally captivate the souls, hearts and art senses of the Bulgarian audience. The date is 16.10.2022, in the town of. Plovdiv, the Auditorium of the Boris Hristov State Palace. The concert is part of the 5th International Festival "Hello, Armenia" and is supported by the Municipality of Plovdiv.

It will be very spectacular!