Impresarios of Ballet, Danilians Impeded by COVID

Later, Gaiane said, they set up a series of projects called “Kings of the Dance” for some of the best male dancers in the world, and invited different choreographers from around the world to work with them and create special choreography for those dancers. These dancers included Nikolay Tsiskaridze, Angel Corella, Johan Kobborg, Ethan Stiefel, Marcelo Gomes, Ivan Vasiliev, Desmond Richardson, Jose Manuel Carreño, Roberto Bolle, Guillaume Côté and David Hallberg.

Ardani pioneered a sort of mini-ballet with solos for two, she said. In general, big companies like the Bolshoi or Mariinsky or Royal are great, but cannot pay attention even to their principal dancers. Ardani fills this gap and as a small company can give such opportunities. She said, “We are eager to see other sides of their talent, to give them that chance to be a star in their own ballet.”

Over the years, the couple have accumulated quite an archive. Gaiane said that their posters and archives were shared between two museums in Moscow. In November 2016 various items were donated to the Sheremetev Palace’s Museum of Theater and Music, while over 100 costumes were donated to the Bakhrushin Museum. The two museums held exhibits called Impresario: Dance Trajectory. It started first in late 2017 to 2018 at the Sheremetev Palace’s Museum of Theater and Music, with rare photos of “cult figures,” and a separate exhibit displayed dancers’ costumes and props from various ballets at the Bakhrushin Museum in 2019.

They have also published a number of coffee table books, including Diana Vishneva: Beauty in Motion (2008), Impresario: Dancer in New Dimensions (2016) and Choreographer: Boris Eifman, The Man Who Dared (2018).

With Armenians and Armenia

The Danilians always kept strong connections with Armenians and Armenia. Gaiane said that while there are many cultured and knowledgeable Armenians who go to the theater, opera and plays, there were initially not that many who would come to ballet, especially classical ballet. However, she said, “We are glad that we found our niche among Armenians and we find that love. We are so happy that we have so many Armenians now who come to see our performances, especially in California. They are so proud of us, and that is really beautiful. We are so happy that now they are coming with their families, bringing grandparents and grandchildren—it is really amazing. We have seen it grow over the years. We finally built our Armenian audience.”

While there are not that many Armenian dancers, the Danilians have worked with a number of them. Gaiane said that furthermore they have friendships that have stretched over decades with many Armenians in other fields. She went back to Armenia in September 2016 and took her now Brooklynite mother in 2019 to Yerevan on her 80^th birthday.

Charles Aznavour is among the creative Armenian artists the Danilians have admired and worked with. Gaiane reminisced that the first concert she could afford to go to in New York was of Aznavour and Liza Minnelli in 1993, in the last row of the balcony.

Then in 2009, Aznavour was supposed to perform in the New York City Center theater and Gaiane was asked to head the advertising and marketing campaign for the ethnic media (Armenian, Russian, French, etc.) to sell tickets in the tristate area for this performance. She immediately agreed, replying “without a doubt, I will do everything possible which is in my power to ensure that Charles Aznavour’s concerts in New York City will have tremendous financial success. He invested in my homeland, Armenia, so much of his soul, talent and financial resources to see the nation bloom economically and culturally.” She said later, “It was very important for me, because I know that he will help our motherland Armenia with every penny that he earned during his concerts.”

Ardani Artists was again in charge of a similar campaign in 2012, but unfortunately immediately after a press conference held at the Ardani offices, tour organizer Live Nation canceled the New York concerts. Gaiane said this was the result of a shameless attempt to cut Aznavour’s fee which the latter did not accept (see https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/24/charles-aznavour-cancels-new-york-shows-in-contract-dispute/).

Ardani also has a major Armenian sponsor in Moscow, Ashot Khachaturyants, who for the last three years provided great financial help. Thanks to him, it was possible to create “Dreamers,” a two-act ballet with the Mariinsky Ballet and orchestra, and the famous Big Children Choir of Television and Radio of Russia, as well as “Isadora,” a two-act ballet dedicated to the famous American dancer Isadora Duncan. He was the sponsor of the two aforementioned Impresario: Dance Trajectory exhibitions and the coffee table book on Eifman mentioned above.

COVID-19 Changes All

Along with shutting down Broadway shows, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera and many other cultural institutions in New York, COVID-19 forced an end to all ballet tours. Gaiane said that Ardani had to cancel performances of the Eifman Ballet at Lincoln Center and the La Scala Ballet of Milan, Italy and the Mikhailovsky Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia, both at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa, Calif. She said that they paid for tickets, airfare and deposits for hotels, but received some of this money back.

The Eifman Ballet was almost sold out for its performance which was supposed to be this June, but Ardani tried to postpone it to March 2021. Gaiane said that she is not sure even if this date will work. She said, “We have to be ready mentally and feel safe to go to the theater.

Even if the performances will be allowed to take place, the theaters state that the entire house cannot be sold out. For example, if there are 3,000 seats in Lincoln Center, only one-third can be sold to allow for social distancing. Gaiane exclaimed, “Can you imagine, to bring a company and sell the house for one-third? You won’t even cover your expenses, and we are not even talking about profits. You will not have funds to pay the artists.” The Eifman Ballet has around 70 people so if this rule stands, Ardani will be forced to cancel, Gaiane said.

The administration of Lincoln Center told Ardani that it is too early to decide and has promised more information at the end of August. Lincoln Center is not sure even if it can open at all next year, but still is selling tickets.

Gaiane pointed out that while it is wonderful that it is possible to watch performances online or broadcast at home, watching in your kitchen is a very different experience than in person. She said, “You go to the theater for live emotion—to react, to feel with our hearts…harmony with beauty and positivity. It is a different feeling. You make your hair, and put on a beautiful dress and high heels. You are going to meet magic—a miracle! And you get to meet your friends in the theater and get champagne. Even if it is 25 dollars a glass, it is the feeling of holiday. You are celebrating something very special.”

From March of this year, due to the preventative measures against the epidemic, revenue resources stopped and along with it, the Danilians’ salaries. Only the two Danilians are on the permanent payroll of Ardani Artists.

When they have projects, Gaiane explained, they hire people to work for them. There are more than ten people that work for the company, largely technical staff, who collaborate with the local technical crews of various theaters on lighting, carpentry, set changes, costumes and wardrobes. Before each performance, all production specifications are sent to the local venue to allow for preparation, but the Ardani technical director is in charge of the final arrangements on stage.

All technical staff, Gaiane said, went onto unemployment but the Danilians cannot do this.

As Ardani is not a non-profit, it applied for government support for small businesses, but so far has not received anything, according to Gaiane.

The entire entertainment industry, she exclaimed, is paralyzed. She said, “If the state simply does not provide serious financial assistance and does not help the entire industry, which brings billions of dollars to the US economy, the entertainment industry will not be able to recover for a very long time; an entertainment industry that attracted millions of tourists from all over the world, who came to the United States to specifically watch Broadway shows, listen to concerts at Carnegie Hall, watch the best opera and ballet performances and so on, throughout the country. And it’s not just ticket revenues. It is also revenues from booked hotels, airline tickets, and payments for theater workers.”

Fans to the Rescue

In order to help Ardani survive this period, the Danilians’ two sons organized a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $100,000. By August 6, almost $18,500 had been raised. According to the GoFundMe description, contributions will help “provide much-needed financial support to members of the Ardani Artists staff and crew whose main sources of income are from live performances.”

Gaiane said, “The GoFundMe campaign is very touching. It is so wonderful. We did not expect our kids to do that. They decided, and said, listen, you have given your hearts to audiences and dancers. You dedicated your entire life to the art of ballet. You are one family.”

She added, “We are so grateful to the people who have helped us so far. They know how much effort and love we put into our performances.”