These styles were preserved and fostered in the U.S. for decades through the picnics of the "compatriotic unions," such as Sepastatsi, Vanetzi and Kharpetzi.

In the late 1940s, the rise of the Vosbikian Band, followed by Artie Barsamian, the Gomidas, the Norikes, etc., heralded the American-Armenian "Big Band" era. A homogeneous style of American-Armenian music developed which incorporated elements of both urban and rural traditional music and contemporary American music; e.g., Jazz and Latin rhythms. Old songs were altered to fit this new brash sound, and new songs and a new American-Armenian dance form also developed. Some of the dance steps are traditional village dance steps that have been modified to fit the music; e.g., Bar, Halay, Tamzara, Pompuri, Sepastia Bar, and Laz bar. Other dance steps have been adopted and modified from other ethnic groups such as Greek and Arabic; e.g., Misirlou, Syrtos, Tsamiko, Dabke. Most of the dances have been created by Armenian teenagers and later adopted by adults; e.g., shuffle, Michigan Hop, California Hop. Armenian teenagers are the primary dance innovators and their dances are the most euphemeral. These dances can wax and wane with amazing rapidity similar to the dance fads of mainstream America.

Click on the following traditional village dances for a step-by-step guide Armenian Bar, Halay, Tamzara.

Thanks to Gary & Susan Lind-Sinanian of ALMA for the contribution of this article.

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