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Vilen Galstyan, People's Artist, Ballet Master of the Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet after Alexander Spendiaryan, turns 75 years old today.

On February 13, 2016, the theatre dedicates Aram Khachaturian's ''Gayane'' ballet, choreographed by Galstyan, to Vilen Galstyan's anniversary. There will be also a reception dedicated to Galstyan's anniversary before the performance. Panorama.am  spoke with Vilen Galstyan regarding his passed path, establishment of Armenian ballet school and current situation in Armenian ballet.

-Mr. Galstyan, you are in ballet for 50 years as ballet dancer and Ballet Master, how would you describe you passed path?

- I signed agreement on working in Yerevan Theatre because of Yevgeniy, Changa, Soviet Lett Ballet Master. I was also accepted to Moscow Big Theatre. Thus, I spend most of my time in Moscow, since there were more opportunities. I was dancing in different stages with Big Theatre's ballet group all over the world and was coming to Armenia only if there was a necessity. When I explained that in Moscow there are much more opportunities, Yerevan theatre allowed me to combine my two jobs. I was also going to many tours with Yerevan Theatre's dancers. When I was dancing in Moscow, I was invited to Petersburg. However now, the financial crisis first and foremost affects art and ballet, since it is very expensive to organize ballet tours to different countries. You need to cover the travel and the decoration expenses of the ballet group, which is composed of 70 people.

Our ballet group was invited to Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, in 2014. We presented Aram Khachaturian's ''Gayane'' ballet, which has never been presented there before. That ballet had an unprecedented success there. My ballet dancer friends also came to see it.

It is very difficult to be a ballet dancer and a Ballet Master similtenuosly. I was dancing all over the world. I was dancing with different Prima-ballerinas such as Raisa Struchkova, Yekatirina Maksimova, Natalia Besmertnova, Valentina Ganibalova, Kaleria Fedievcha.

In 1973-74, Aram Khachaturian said “You are dancing so well. You also feel my music. You should stage ''Gayane'' ballet”. I agreed to stage it without a doubt. But Ihave not staged any ballet before. During the staging process I was losing my quality as a dancer. I was recovering my muscles for about 1-2 months.  Although I was avoiding staging too much, theatre was demanding to stage performances.

Edgar Hovhannisyan wrote the music, and I staged “Sasutsi David” ballet, in 1976. Then, Tigran Mansourian wrote music and I staged “Snow Queen” of Andersen. Loris Tcheknavorian wrote music and I staged Shakespeare's "Othello”. Then, during the cold and dark years the theatre stopped working. My friends saved me. Vladimer Vasilev from Moscow Big Theatre invited me to Moscow. He sent me to Seoul for lecturing instead of himself.

-Mr. Galstyan, which performances where you have danced or staged you would highlight?

-"Gayane" and "The Snow Queen" ballets. I introduced some innovative elements in "Othello" ballet. I staged it in innovative manner. But there are ballets which must be staged only in a classic manner such as "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", "Giselle".

-Do you prefer classic or modern ballet?

- The classic school is the most powerful in that sphere and ballet is created from that school. If one does not know classic school, he is illiterate. Armenian ballet also is based on the classic school of ballet.
-Mr. Galstyan, what do you think about our ballet dancers? Is there a school for preparing ballet dancers?
- Our dancers are being taught at Yerevan State Choreographic College. We have more that 50 ballet dancers dancing on international stages. They are more successful than the dancers from St. Petersburg and Moscow.
However we are losing our talents since there are more opportunities abroad. There, they receive a salary of 3000 euro, but here only 300 $. They stay abroad. That’s why we always need to prepare new talents.
-Mr. Galstyan, do you see people, who can continue you work?

- Staging is very difficult job. You can stage a very emotional performance, but you will fail if you are not familiar with the history of the performance. Sure, I am concerned with that issue. I will definitely assist the young Ballet Masters in that job.

Vilen Galstyan graduated from Yerevan State Choreographic College in 1959. After graduation he was dancing in Opera and Ballet Theatre after Paliashvilu in Tbilisi. Starting from 1961 he was dancing in Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theatre. Vilen Galstyan played as  Spartacus, in Khachaturian's “Spartacus”, (1961), as Armen in Aram Khachatryan ‘s "Gayane" (1974),  as Albert, in Adan’s "Giselle"  ballet (1961), as Byurate in Ed. Hovannisian's "Eternal Idol" ballet (1966),  as Komitas in "Antuni" (1969), as David in "Sasuntsi David" ballet(1976), as Prometheus in E. Aristakesyan’s  "Prometheus"  ballet (1967), as Romeo in Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" ballet (1970). Galstyan also staged a number of performances , such as A. Khachaturian's "Gayane" ballet in 1974, 2004, "Spartacus"  in 1978, 1982, 1987,  Ed. Hovannisian’s "Sasuntsi David " in 1976, Minkus’s  "Don Quixote"  ballet, etc. He stared in many films, and is most famous starring role is in the 1969 classic film “The Color of Pomegranates”.

Currently, Vilen Galstyan works on Aram Khachatryan’ s “Mascaraed” ballet, which will be presented in June-July this year. “Our theatre must present Aram Khachatryan’ s three ballets: “Mascaraed”, “Gayane" and “Spartacus””, said Galstyan earlier.