The magic begins from the moment the lights slowly turn off, the audience starts applauding, the orchestra sets the mood, the curtain rises, and ballerinas enter the stage.“Ballet dictates taste. It is aristocratic and luxurious art born in the royal palace,” describes Raffi Galstyan, ballet dancer of the Armenian National Opera & Ballet Theatre.
Raffi started his first dancing steps from the age of two in his mother’s dance studio. The first person who noticed his potential, called him “Spartacus ” (Սպարտակ) and imagined him one day dancing this role in ballet was Vanoush Khanamirian, a ballet dancer and choreographer. Raffi began attending Yerevan State Choreographic College at the age of 10, which was the first step of his promising career. After years of learning and training, he built his strength, flexibility and skills. At 17, he performed for the first time at the Opera & Ballet Theatre of Armenia in the role of Prince Zvezdich in Masquerade.
Raffi mentions that a ballet dancer should possess strong personality traits, such as endurance and persistence, dancing techniques and other characteristics to “survive” in the dance world. Every day is a challenge and choice for a ballet dancer to wake up early and go to practice. “Ballet is a painful expression of art. It requires you to carve your body and keep it in shape. Ballet goes against nature as usually people are walking or standing horizontally, while ballet dancers are standing in different positions, which is the beauty of our language,” adds the dancer.
He highlights that successful ballet dancers should also master artistic skills to convey their feelings to the audience. It is crucial to develop firm muscles and strong bones to smoothly jump and rotate in the air, but it is another thing to show artistic expression during performances. Before going to college, Raffi studied acting techniques for two years, and then he continued professionally mastering and adapting skills later in college. “Facial expression is significant as we embody a character who has feelings. When we show emotions, we connect with the audience and transmit the story’s message through our expressions,” explains Raffi. He mentions that even though training and exercises add more acting experience, artistry is a talent that comes from an individual’s inner world and perception of ballet.
Raffi’s source of inspiration comes from combining music and dance. Putting headphones on, turning music on, and being immersed in the world of classical music and ballet motivates him to move on the stage. Classical composers, such as Aram Khachaturian, Sergei Prokofiev, and Georges Bizet and ballet dancers Hovhannes Divanyan, Ruben Muradyan, Mikhail Baryshnikov and other artists are his role models to learn from them and inspired him to dance. He remembers a precious moment from his life when he met Russian ballet dancer Ivan Vasiliev and danced with him in Saint Petersburg. Watching his performances as a kid and then dancing on the same stage was one of the unforgettable memories of his career.
If not a ballet dancer, he would have become a choreographer, an actor, or a wrestler. “By luck or by accident I became a ballet dancer,” states Raffi. He realizes that his younger self would have never believed that one day he would dance in Spartacus, Masquerade, The Nutcracker, The Swan Lake on different stages around the world, notably in Palais des Congrès in Paris. Through his talent, diligence and determination his dreams came true as he danced in Russia, Kazakhstan, Estonia and France. He wishes to dance on other worldwide stages, such as in New York City and Milan. Raffi highlights that it is an honor and a huge responsibility to dance in various renowned theaters as he showcases our culture to an international audience.
Raffi’s colleague and friend Vahe Babajanyan describes Raffi as someone who is strictly professional in his career and never fails to impress the audience with each of his performances. He adds, “Raffi is the same person on the stage and in real life.” Sharing the same stages and constantly traveling to different countries for performances strengthened their friendship. Vahe points out that the first time he saw Raffi on stage was during Giselle ballet in the role of Albrecht. However, his favorite performance of his friend’s is Spartacus. As Vahe mentions, Spartacus is very close to Raffi’s heart. Every time he performs this role, he attempts to show it differently and impress the audience with his charisma and performance.
Ballet is highly valued in Armenia, and Raffi is one of the amazing Armenian ballet dancers who aims to spread our culture in different countries through his artistic language. His efforts to preserve and showcase Armenia’s cultural richness through dance have earned him both domestic and international recognition.
