A recipient of numerous awards and medals, Kharatian holds a Master’s Degree in Choreography and Stage Production from the Moscow University of Theatre Arts (GITIS). He is a graduate of the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg where he studied with the legendary teacher Pushkin alongside classmate Mikhail Baryshnikov. As principal dancer with the National Ballet of Armenia from 1967 to 1991, he toured the world with the Bolshoi Ballet and Stars of the Russian Ballet. He was Artistic Director of the Chamber Ballet of Armenia from 1979 to 1991, and headed the dance department of the Yerevan School of the Arts from 1973 to 1979. He is the founder and Artistic Director of ARKA Ballet in Washington, D.C. He is also the founder and president of the Ballet 2021 Foundation and Artistic Director of Ballet 2021.

A renowned master teacher, Kharatian has taught for the Kirov Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the Boston Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, the Youth Ballet of Brazil, the Debra Colker Dance Company, the North Carolina School of the Arts, among others. He has also worked with the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, the Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore, and with Les Ballets Classiques de Montreal and Ballet Divertimento in Montreal, Canada. Kharatian served on the faculty of Washington’s Kirov Academy for three years (1991 to 1994) and that of The Washington School of Ballet for thirteen years (1994 to 2007). He was invited back to the Kirov Academy as guest instructor in spring 2009 and was on the faculty of CityDance Centre at Strathmore and company teacher for CityDanceEnsemble for two years (2007–2009) prior to being invited to assume the position of Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Armenia. Under his coaching and guidance, Kharatian’s students have garnered top honors at the most important international ballet competitions and gone on to successful careers with some of the world’s foremost companies including the Kirov Maryinsky Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Royal Ballet, the Dutch National Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, and many more.

Kharatian is a frequent guest lecturer and panelist, speaking about a broad range of ballet and movement‐related topics. He has been a featured panelist on the Critic’s Panel at the annual Dance Critics of America conference. In addition to his work in ballet, Kharatian has extensive experience in television, film, theatre and opera. He was the Creative Producer and permanent member of the jury of the inaugural season of the hit ShantTV show ‘So You Think You Can Dance Armenia – Պարիր, թե կարող ես’. Kharatian is also an accomplished and celebrated visual artist; his paintings are in private collections in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, South Africa and Armenia.

NEUF architect(e)s

NEUF architect(e)s is a team of creative professionals who have been contributing to Canada’s built environment for nearly 50 years. Active in all sectors, including strategic planning, urban design, institutional, resorts and hotels, residential, interiors, commercial, industrial and office buildings, the firm specializes in finding creative solutions to today’s most challenging design problems. With offices in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, NEUF architect(e)s has grown into one of the most diversified architecture and design practices in the country. Over the years, NEUF has completed hundreds of projects, including landmarks such as the CBC Headquarters in Ottawa, Bombardier facilities in Mirabel and Dorval, and many of the towers animating our cities’ skylines, including its key role in the newly completed CHUM super-hospital. Recipient of multiple design awards – including recent wins at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin and Amsterdam – NEUF architect(e)s is currently involved in projects across the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Ms. Petrosyan graduated from the Yerevan State University in 1998 and joined the Armenian Philharmonic orchestra as PR manager. In 2002 she joined the Cultural Policy Department at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia as Senior Specialist. From 2004 to 2006 she worked with the “International Book and Media Agency”, Berlin on developing joint educational and cultural projects.  From 2006 to 2010 she worked in the Tourism industry, honing her ability to adapt in a dynamic and competitive business environment.   In 2010 she assumed the position of Marketing, Development and Communications Manager for the National Ballet of Armenia, overseeing the initial design, creative process and implementation of marketing and public relations strategies for the ballet.

Throughout her career, Ms. Petrosyan coordinated and realized numerous projects, including world-class ballet productions La Bohème (2017) and Two Suns (2015), opera production Norma (2001), the first ever international ballet company in Armenia  for 32 weeks (2015), diverse art related seminar and workshop series (2011-2019); the proclamation of  “Duduk Music” as intangible human heritage as part of the UNESCO Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity lists (2003); Council of Europe, STAGE Project “Book and Publishing in Armenia, A Profile” (Policy Report, 2004); Council of Europe, STAGE Project “LIBRARY 2011, Strategy for Armenian Libraries” (2005); Council of Europe, STAGE Project “Book an Publishing in Armenia: Annotated Draft of a Law  on State Support” (2005).

Ms. Petrosyan was a lecturer of Yerevan State University’s English Philology Department from 1998 till 2016.