Last October, Vahagn Margaryan – a rising star of the Armenian ballet – died in a tragic accident. At our request, the head of the auxiliary actors’ staff Arpi Maghakyan of the Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theatre talked with the Regional Post about Vahagn.
Text: Arpy Maghakyan Photo: Tigran Arakelyan
You could endlessly admire Vahagn: his dance was swift, clean, rythmical and emotional. Few ballet artists succeed in creating an organic and interesting character in a challenging performance in terms of dance. Vahagn mastered it.
Vahagn could leap so high on the stage that the audience kept its breath and followed him with awe as he touched back on the floor with the tight toes of his strong muscular feet and stood firmly. Many admired the speed, aesthetics, cleanness, flexibility and the emotionality of the soloist’s dance performance.
The National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet mourns the loss of the 23-year-old artist: “That car crash took from us not only the life of a talented artist, but also our modest and joyful, kind and much beloved friend,” said his colleagues.
Meanwhile, not long ago, on November 4, there was a great celebration at the theater – it was the premiere of Karen Khachatryan’s children’s ballet Chipolino.
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On July 24, The Yerevan Opera and Ballet National Academic Theater was hosted by the stage of the Bolshoi Teater in RF, with Aram Khachaturian’s Gayane ballet.
On this occasion, the commentator of the Kommersant.ru Russian newspage Tatyana Kuznecova, famous for her sharp pen and professional, sharp critical approach, evaluates the dance of the soloist in Gayane as: “... the swift virtuosities of the light-footed and fast Vahagn Margaryan.”
The stage was bright and beautiful. All the decors and costumes were brought to Armenia from Russia’s world-famous Bolshoi Theater with the support of the Constantine Orbelian Foundation.
Chipolino’s first choreographer Henrich Mayorov himself had arrived in Armenia and was working diligently with the artists of the ballet.
During his meetings, Henrich Mayorov told the Armenian mass media that the performance of Chipolino children’s ballet is very complex, and it’s not accidental that at the Bolshoi it is called the children’s Spartakus.
“I am amazed at the Armenian cast. And, the leading actor, Vahagn: he is crazy… he is magnificent… just magnificent,” said Mayorov when giving an interview to the A1+News before the premiere.
Vahagn created a Chipolino who was not only dancing excellently, soaring and spinning in the air, but who was also a vivid and featured character, children’s favorite.
The very next day of the audience’s standing ovations in the sold out hall the leading actor dies in a car crash. The second performance scheduled for November 12 is, alas, taken down from the repertoire.
Vahagn Margaryan's memory will never fade. He will always be remembered for his artistry, talent and human values, and will always remain in the hearts of his audience, colleagues, friends and family. The soloist dancer performed another of his excellent flights, a flight to heaven… alas, so untimely.
VAHAGN MARGARYAN
Vahagn Margaryan was born on September 5, 1995, in Echmiazin. He completed 8 years at the secondary school in village Apaga of Armavir region, then he was transferred to the Yerevan State College of Dance, where he studied first in the department of Armenian folk dances and afterwards – the Classical Dances.
While in college, he danced in various performances. In his last year, he participated in Eurovision Young Dancers’ international contest in Gdansk, Poland, representing Armenia. In 2013, he graduated from The State College of Dance and started to work at Yerevan National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet after A. Spendiaryan as a ballet artist.
He performed in the following ballet performances: A. Khachaturian’s Gayane (Karen), Spartakus (Shepherds), J. Bizet’s – R.Shchedrin’s Carmen (Officer), Tchaikovskiy’s Nutcracker (the pas de deux), L. Minkus’ Don Quixote (the pas de deux), etc.
In Blind Alley of the 2016 Gala Concert of the Estonian National Opera House he won the III PRIZE in combined C and D age categories.
In 2018, at the Fourth Baltic Ballet Competition in Latvia, he took the second principal place. It’s worth mentioning that there was no first place that year.