Inclusive arts in Armenia is gaining recognition
When four years ago British Council started Unlimited: Making the Right Moves programme, it was highly ambitious to speak about inclusive arts in Armenia. The first Armenian inclusive professional dance company has had by far two premieres, performed in the UK, Georgia and Kazakhstan and is planning another tour.
The story took off when Candoco Dance Company, an inclusive dance company from the UK, toured Armenia.
“Following the success of two performances in the full hall and the extremely positive feedback from the appreciative audience, we thought it was time to establish this kind of company in Armenia’’, – says Arevik Saribekyan, British Council Armenia Director.
Small Theatre and Vahan Badalyan, its Artistic Director, embraced the project expressing willingness to provide both space and training for the new project. Afterwards, in collaboration with Candoco, British Council Armenia started the recruitment and training of the project participants and artists.
For about a year, professional and amateur dancers from Armenia were trained to be able to master the skills of inclusive dances. After the training course, 19 participants were selected to join the very first inclusive dance company in Armenia.
‘’It was a moment of triumph, when I watched dancers with and without disability performing on the same stage and having the audience forget about their disability during the first few seconds of the performance’’,-said Narek Tovmasyan, Arts Manager in the British Council Armenia.
In October 2014, the artists gave their first performance “Don’t leave me” in the main programme of HighFest International Performing Arts Festival. The performance was commissioned by the British Council and staged in cooperation with Candoco Dance Company. The performance received standing ovations and cheers from the audience and critics, hence testifying to the importance of the project for the Armenian public. After a few months, the performance was awarded “Artavazd” national prize
Anush Smbatyan, a company artist, says that the project has radically changed her life. She has a disability and lives in a village.
‘’I started to travel more often to the city and got involved in some activities. I received applause. I wouldn’t ever dream of”, she says.
Following the success of the first performance, it seemed hard to stage a new one. Nevertheless, Vahan Badalyan and Candoco Artist Jemima Hoadley started working on a new performance, which premiered in Unlimited Festival at Tramway, Glasgow.
“Hiraeth explores themes of homesickness and belonging. The word means ‘homesickness’ in Welsh standing for homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a land you’ve never seen. The production features the remarkable journey of the Armenian people throughout their nation’s history: their yearning for a lost homeland and their efforts to regain their identity in a new country’’, said Jemima Hoadley.
‘’The group brought a dignity and spirituality to images from their country’s history that nonetheless speak to us all’’ wrote Herald Scotland after the performance.
The company’s future plans are as ambitious as during the launch of the programme. The company is going to tour Armenia and is staging its third performance.
Vahan Badalyan is confident that the company will keep up its work.
He believes that establishing the first inclusive dance company in Armenia has been the best visible example for introducing serious changes into this field and voicing new issues.
