Celebration Marks 35 Years For NJ-Based Karachai Community Association

PATERSON, NJ — The Paterson-based non-profit AKBA recently celebrated 35 years of serving the Karachai community in North Jersey and beyond, and announced the re-launch of a cultural dance ensemble.

AKBA, which stands for the American Karachai-Kavkaz Benevolent Association, organizes community events throughout the U.S. to preserve and foster Karachi (also spelled Karachay) culture, including religion, language, customs, and arts.

The Karachai people are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to the Karachai-Cherkess Republic, which is located in the North Caucasus region and currently a republic of Russia.

Members of the community volunteer together to manage the AKBA community center located at 137 Crooks Avenue in Paterson.

Read more in the below press release from AKBA:

American Karachai-Kavkaz Benevolent Association (AKBA) hosted its 35th Anniversary Gala along the Hudson River where it announced the re-launch of the dance ensemble, ELBRUS USA, on May 4. The evening celebrated 35 years of Karachai cultural preservation in the United States with native dances by the ensemble, scholarship awards and esteemed guests of the community.

As the only organization in the United States dedicated to celebrating Karachai culture, AKBA has preserved, fostered, studied and taught Karachai language, customs, history, folk dance and music through community events and activities since its founding in 1989.

“In commemorating 35 years of AKBA’s cultural stewardship, the revival of ELBRUS USA embodies our unwavering commitment to preserving the essence of Karachai culture,” says AKBA President Ali Toturkul. “Through the artistry of dance, we share our heritage with the world, fostering connections across communities and generations.”

ELBRUS USA, established in 2007 as AKBA’s official dance ensemble, has re-launched after 9 years, headed by instructors Azamat and Suriia Karabashev, former dancers of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic’s state dance ensemble, ELBRUS, as well as Mert Cagar and Serra Aygun. Cagar and Aygun have been dancers of ELBRUS USA since its inception and now lead its Elite dance group which has been performing for weddings, cultural festivals and more for nearly a decade.

“As AKBA embarks on this next chapter, future guests are invited to experience the Karachai traditions of dance, leverage community resources and join the organization’s support system through donations, entertainment bookings of ELBRUS USA and booking AKBA hall for events,” says Toturkul.

About American- Karachai-Kavkaz Benevolent Association

American Karachai-Kavkaz Benevolent Association is a federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization that serves the Karachai-American community by celebrating Karachai language, dance and customs (the Karachai people are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to the Karachai-Cherkess Republic located in the North Caucasus of present-day Russia.) AKBA is exclusively owned and operated by community volunteers managing cooperative ties among the global Karachai-Kavkaz community out of its headquarters in Paterson, New Jersey where AKBA has become a staple, opening its doors as a banquet hall, resource hub and entertainment center.