YEREVAN/ATHENS — Dancer, choreographer, dance researcher, dance instructor and organizer of international dance events Anahit Saribekyan, 39, who was born in Vanadzor, graduated from the dance department of Vanadzor School of Arts and the Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University (Russia). She obtained her master’s degree from Greenwich University (London). Anahit has been selected multiple times as the president, member, or honorary guest of the jury for several world conferences, festivals, and seminars related to dance. She represents International Dance Council CID-UNESCO and is a laureate of several competitions in dance, song, and poetry. She has delivered lectures and performed in Armenia, France, Greece, Georgia, India, Italy, Oman, Poland, Russia and Turkey.
Dear Anahit, you have over 24 years of experience in the psychopedagogical methodology of choreographic art. Could you point out the key aspects a dance instructor should consider when working with children?
First of all, I am very grateful for the interview. It’s hard to answer the question in just a few words. Irreplaceable knowledge in the fields of psychology and pedagogy can serve as the foundation for solid and correct work and its results. Every new movement creates a new neural connection in a child’s mental system, which must be approached with great responsibility. Everyone can dance and sing; for me, there is no such thing as a talentless person. There are techniques and special approaches that help achieve in a short time what many struggle to reach due to a lack of knowledge and experience.
When working with children, we must consider: 1. their age, 2. their health, particularly if there are issues such as cardiovascular insufficiency, muscle weakness, tension, etc., 3. their temperament and character, 4. their ways of perception, and more. It is essential to collaborate with specialists in the fields of psychology and pedagogy and continuously improve oneself through self-education, mastering methods that make the work even more interesting for both students and teachers. Despite my knowledge, I always discover new approaches from my students because we are all different, and the approach must also be different.
Around 20 years ago, you founded and still manage the “Anahit” International Academy of Arts. What innovation did you bring with this institution?
The academy is like my child, created from my own flesh and blood, and I am grateful to God for sending me like-minded people and helpers in this endeavor. Initially, it was established as the “Nairi” dance ensemble in Nizhny Novgorod, and in 2007 we started collaborating with the Armenian community, which led us to become a dance group operating under the community. Today, my mother, Karine Kocharyan, a dancer and choreograph of the “Horovel” ensemble and now the artistic director of “Nairi,” continues the work with my students. I join them online whenever they need help. My choreography and dance masterclasses gained global reach when I started offering them online in 2009, and my international students named the academy “Anahit.” This institution brings together and enriches our Armenian diaspora, with the goal of uniting them through art, thereby contributing to the intellectual, spiritual, and physical formation and development of the Armenian individual, while preserving the values created by nature, the Armenian people, and human history.
