Dance

Ballet Dancer/Teacher/Choreographer

Sayat Asatryan was born in Yerevan, Armenia, and trained in Russia at the Voronezh Ballet School and St.Petersburg Ballet Academy. He was a principal ballet dancer with the Moscow Kremlin Ballet, touring internationally in South America, Europe, Japan, France, Egypt., Italy, China, Mexico and U.S. Sayat has worked with some premier dancers and choreographers most notably Ekaterina Maximova, Vladimir Vasyliev, Erich Volodin, Andrey Petrov, Alexander Bennet, Danny Herman, Chris Tabor, Victoria Simon, Heinz Poll and William Soleau, etc.

He has performed leading roles in such classical and contemporary ballets as Don Quixote, Carmen, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker and Who Cares? In 2002 he staged for Santa Barbara Festival Ballet the full-length ballet Don Quixote as well as Nutcracker for Southern Dance Theater. In January 2005 he produced the First Russian Festival in GA. Currently, Sayat is a freelance guest ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer.

His repertoire of productions to stage includes the original full length ballet productions of “Don Quixote,” “The Nutcracker,” “Swan Lake,” “Les Sylphides,” “Paquita,” “Giselle,” “La Bayadere,” “The Sleeping Beauty,” “Pas de Six from Ballet Markitanka,” “Pas de Six from Esmeralda,” “Flower Festival of Genzano.” 

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Sayat's Philosophy

Ballet is both an artistic and a moral discipline. Not all dancers are endowed with what we now think of as a dancer’s body or a natural turnout. This does not mean, however, that these individuals should not be given the opportunity to study dance. Ballet enlarges one’s character and the discipline of the art enables the student to learn more about him- or herself. Ballet is also an international language and a mode of communication. It crosses national boundaries and has become a medium for cross-cultural understanding. 

For me, Ballet is also about Truth and Life, and it has enabled me to express my artistic self. In my teaching, I endeavor to communicate to my students the sense of wonder and beauty that characterize the many faceted nature of the world of ballet.

Partnering / Master Class

Sayat Asatryan’s partnering seminar equips students with basic pas de deux technique while passing on valuable insights he has gained from years of professional experience. His is a specialized training course for serious students of ballet which communicates the finer points of partnering and results in the smooth and effective execution of the most difficult pas de deux steps. Some of the topics presented are:

Stage presentation of both ballerina and partner

1. Finding the center of balance in partnering
2. Both posed and moving arm positions
3. Partnering with tall and short girls (common mistakes)
4. Turns with a partner (the difference between dancing in the studio and on stage, including common mistakes between male and female dancers)
5. Safety and partnering (avoiding broken ribs, sprained fingers, etc)
6. Partnering with different costumes (turns-promenade-presentation)
7. Promenades (common mistakes, the correct position of arms, etc)
8. Lifts (safe execution for both male and female dancers, including physical conditioning, timing, etc)
9. Jumps (timing of partners, safely executed jumps, etc)
10. Differences between classical ballet, contemporary and modern partnering
11. Collaborating with female ballet teachers in partnering classes, etc

Mr. Asatryan’s master class in partnering is for ages 11 and up. The duration is 2-3 hours, depending on the size, level of students as well as the number of male students in the class.

In short, this master class is designed to inspire students through beautifully presented partnering combinations while communicating knowledge that will quickly aid them in executing the most difficult of pas de deux lifts, turns and promenades. Mr. Asatryan’s warm and friendly approach with children of all ages and expert knowledge of his craft make this class a must for any school or company seeking to increase the quality of their dancers’ pas de deux skills.

2005 Don Quixote Ballet	2005	2005