Roudolf Kharatian has had an illustrious career as dancer, choreographer, teacher and director. A recipient of numerous awards and medals, Artist Emeritus 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.

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). Under his coaching and guidance, his students have garnered top honors at prestigious international ballet competitions and gone on to successful careers with some of the world's foremost companies. He is on the faculty of CityDance Centre at Strathmore and company teacher for CityDance Ensemble. Kharatian was invited back to the Kirov Academy this spring to teach the boys class.

A prolific choreographer, Kharatian is the creator of over 100 original works ranging from avant-garde/experimental to classical. Kharatian's ballets, which include one-act ballets, concert pieces and full-length works, have been performed on stages worldwide. He recently created a new one-act ballet for the National Ballet of Armenia and two new works for the 50th Anniversary Program of the State Dance Ensemble of Armenia.

Kharatian is a frequent guest lecturer and panelist, speaking about a broad range of ballet and movement-related topics. He was recently 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, and is an accomplished and celebrated visual artist; his paintings are in private collections in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, South Africa and Armenia.

You can learn more at www.roudolfkharatian.com and www.arkaballet.org.