Roudolf Kharatian
Painter, Choreographer, Teacher. Born 1 April 1947 in Yerevan, Armenia. Currently lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, USA. Married, two children, Sona Kharatian and Hagop Kharatian, both professional ballet dancers.
Ballet: Dancer, choreographer, teacher
Founder of ARKA Ballet [1] in Washington, DC. Graduate of GITIS - Moscow State University of Theatrical Arts - (Master's degree in Choreography and Stage Production) and Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia (Classical Ballet) where he studied under the great Pushkin alongside classmate Mikhail Baryshnikov. From 1967 to 1991, was Principal Dancer with the Spendiarian State Opera and Ballet Theatre of Armenia and toured the world with 'Stars of Russian Ballet'. Named Artist Emeritus in 1974. From 1979 to 1991, was Artistic Director of the Chamber Ballet of Armenia. From 1991 to 1994, was on Faculty the Kirov Academy in Washington DC; from 1994 to 2007, was principal teacher on faculty of the Washington School of Ballet. Currently on faculty of the CityDance at the Strathmore Center for the Arts. Kharatian is listed in the International Encyclopedia of Ballet. A section of the National Library of Armenia is devoted to his career and achievements.
Artist
Kharatian studied at the Yerevan School of Fine Arts and under artist Levon Vardanian. In America, Kharatian's works have been included in individual, group and juried exhibitions in the greater Washington, DC area at the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Fannie Mae Foundation Gallery, the Embassy of Armenia, the Russian Cultural Center, the Maryland College of Art and Design, Roulette Gallery, Foundry Gallery, Touchstone Gallery, Art-O-Matic 2000, HNTB Architecture, and the Delaplaine Visual Arts Center; as well as internationally in Montreal, Canada; in St. Petersburg, Russia; in Delhi, India; in Cairo, Egypt; and most recently in Florence, Italy at the 6th International Biennale of Contemporary Art.
Kharatian's works are in private collections in the United States, Canada, France, Great Britain, South Africa and Armenia. Three of his paintings are featured on wine labels for a selection of Armenian wines distributed in the United States by Ararat Import Export.