Aida Amirkhanian: Dance Is in Her Blood

You performed also in Australian dramatic theater. How was that, not being a English native speaker?

When I used to live in Australia I wanted to learn more acting skills, so I approached various theater directors and asked them to give me a chance to act in various plays as an actress. I had learned French, but had never learned English, even less Australian English. I picked up the language and studied on my own, but resisted learning the Australian accent. When I auditioned, some directors told me that they appreciated my movement vocabulary and my skills in voice and singing, but they could not give me a role, because I did not speak Australian English. Other directors got a whole play written to accommodate my accent! I wanted to build my acting skills and would refuse to be used as a dancer just doing a dance as a part of the play. I found out actors were lazy compared to dancers; that was an interesting discovery for me.

How do dance and yoga complement each other?

Yoga is an internal journey, an internal expression, that doesn’t need to be exhibited. Dance is an external expression though it has to start from deep inside, but it has to be expressed and exhibited. Over 30 plus years I think I have found a way to find a bridge between the two, a bridge where I can cross deep inside from one to the other if needed.

Being an Armenologist, in my interviews I often ask people about their roots. What do you know about your ancestors?

My grandfather from my mother’s side, Nerses hayrik, was a survivor of Genocide from Van. I believe there were seven children, two of them survived. I loved him dearly. He had survived his trauma with his great sense of humor and his tenacity. He was generous, loved Komitas and sang songs. My grandmother also was a survivor of Genocide; her family had tea farms. There were also seven or eight children; two of them survived. She was the most loving and caring and generous person with a smile on her face at all times. When she was in her early 60s her trauma as a Genocide survivor manifested as deep depression and much confusion. This is all I know about my grandparents from my mother’s side. I was not born when my grandmother on my paternal side passed away. All I know about her was that she was a very kind and spiritual woman. She had one wish and that was to go to Jerusalem for a pilgrimage and she did, then on the same day she returned tired and asked to rest in her bed and she passed away. She had her wish fulfilled.  I didn’t particularly connect well to my paternal grandfather and don’t know much about him.  I know that they were both from Tabriz.

Twice during 1998, you presented contemporary dance in Yerevan — a rare guest on our stages. Fortunately, this art type has been developed in Armenia, and today we have few, but quite interesting innovative choreographers and dancers. While watching their performances, I always remember your words that in order to have experimental dance one does not need to borrow dance technique, that should be developed on the national basis.

That is right, I came to Armenia twice in 1998 and met the wonderful artists from Yerevan choreography college, from the mime studio and even a couple of street artists and musicians and we decided to put a performance on that was a rich experience. My second trip in 1998 was to collaborate with Maestro Aram Gharabekian (the music director of the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia) on Topophono musical and dance project by eminent Armenian composer Haroutiun Delalian. It was a very creative and unforgettable experience. I had the grand honor to dance on the voice of late Hovaness Badalyan live, an experience of a lifetime.

In our interview I remember talking about not wanting to use the word contemporary dance instead I called it innovative or experimental dance. Most people in the dance world, when they think contemporary dance, they refer to the various American contemporary dance techniques which is fine, but I think that each culture has to develop their own contemporary techniques based on their own cultural roots. Various cultures have developed that very successfully and we can achieve that as well, specially that we already have such strong roots in dance and movement.

Our national culture is very rich,  the movements in our traditional dances, not staged ones,  the naz pars etc. but the true traditional dances from various regions are the base movements from which then the new vocabulary can develop, and this is what I call innovative, a true exploration in the  heart of the movement and then an evolution of it, an expansion of it.  Very difficult to explain in words because this is a true experience not an intellectual activity. I believe one has to know the very root and the heart of one’s own culture in this case the dances and then proceed from there if the intention is to become innovative.

In 2006, Gharabekian again invited you to choreograph and perform Shchedrin’s Carmen, at the site of the ruins of Zvartnots cathedral. I am sure if Aram Gharabekian did not leave us so early, you would continue to perform in Armenia. Do you have any plans to return?

Maestro Gharabekian called me up to ask me to participate in this project and I straight out rejected it saying he should look for someone else and here was his response: “When I stand in the ruins of Zvartnots I can’t see anyone else but you. This seems to be your responsibility and no one else’s.” The trust he gave me was remarkable, and that level of trust made me take on this responsibility. It was an extremely challenging project which we co created. Not just the creative process, but also during the performance we (the musicians, maestro and myself and everyone involved), we were also challenged by the powerful winds that at times I felt that it may sweep me away in the air! There was a moment during the performance where I had a powerful experience of belonging to that land standing solid on my two legs getting a glimpse of what is it like to feel so deeply and to dance with the music, the wind, the stars, the sweeping dust and everything and become one with it all. Zvartnots is a very powerful place and had tremendous energy if one is open to receive it. As you can imagine I was devastated when maestro left us in body and moved on to other dimensions. We had a lot of plans for other projects. I performed in his tribute in Los Angeles and thereafter I could not perform and I did not want to perform for the longest time. Maybe my next performance will be in Yerevan when that time comes.

Unlike classical dance, contemporary dancers do not retire early – do you continue dancing and what are your current projects?

Please allow me to answer this question with a poem by Rumi:

Dance when you are broken open’

Dance if you’ve torn the bandage off,

Dance in the middle of fighting,

Dance in your blood,

Dance when you are perfectly free.

It does not really matter anymore if anyone sees me dance. When I am inspired and feel that from the depths of my being I have something to express which will serve other, then I will.

Thank you for your interest and your care as well as your patience!

Here is what Pina Bausch said:

DANCE, DANCE, DANCE! without it we are lost!