Van | Sindjaneh (dance)
23/08/25 (Last modified 23/08/25)
This section of our website aims to document and share performances of various traditional Armenian dances that have been preserved by Diasporan communities in the United States. To this end, Houshamadyan is partnering and collaborating with a group of Armenian dance experts who have produced appropriate dance notations for documentation. This group consists of Carolyn Rapkievian (of Bar Harbor, Maine), Susan and Gary Lind-Sinanian (of Watertown, Massachusetts), Tom Bozigian (of Los Angeles, California), and Robert Haroutunian (Sunyside, NY).
Sindjaneh is a traditional processional dance originating from Vasbouragan/Van. Processional dances formed an important part of special occasions, particularly weddings and communal celebrations. Today, Sindjaneh continues to be performed within Armenian communities in Detroit, Michigan, and New York.
Tom Bozigian learned the dance from Yenovk Kazarian, father of clarinetist and bandleader Hachig Kazarian of Detroit, Michigan. Yenovk, who was born in Van, was the son of Khachig Kazarian, a noted specialist in the regional dances of Vasbouragan.
The name Sindjaneh is believed to derive from the Armenian given name Sindjahn. The first element, Sin, refers to the Assyrian god of the moon, suggesting that the dance’s name may trace its origins to this pre-Christian deity.