Vilen Galstyan ( hy, Վիլեն Գալստյան, (Vilen Sargsyan) 12 February 1941 – 4 June 2021)Вилен ГАЛСТЯН: “Умные люди просто обязаны инвестировать в искусство!”
/ref> was an Armenian ballet dancer and actor who was popular in the former

U.S.S.R. The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and especially in Armenia. He was awarded by the ''People's Artist of Armenia'' honorary title.

Biography

Galstyan was born on 12 February 1941 in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

. He trained at Yerevan Choreographic School, before he began performing with Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet Theater. He also performed internationally, including at the

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, literally "Big Theater", p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈatər) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds ballet and ope ...

. He took part in a Canadian tour with

Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; lv, Mihails Barišņikovs; born January 28, 1948) is a Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Latvian-born R ...

, during which Baryshnikov defected. Galstyan stated that he was questioned by the

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

as a result. He won gold medals at

Varna International Ballet Competition The Varna International Ballet Competition is a biennial ballet competition held in Varna, Bulgaria. The competition was founded in 1964 and subsequently held in 1965 and 1966, and then every two years starting in 1968. Many dancers have gained th ...

and another international competition in Cairo in 1968 and 1971 respectively. He appeared in over 60 films during his 40-year career, including in ''

The Color of Pomegranates ''The Color of Pomegranates'' is a 1969 Soviet Armenian art film written and directed by Sergei Parajanov. The film is a poetic treatment of the life of 18th-century Armenian poet and troubadour Sayat-Nova. It has appeared in many polls as one of ...

'', after he was spotted by director

Sergei Parajanov Sergei Parajanov, ka, სერგო ფარაჯანოვი, uk, Сергій Параджанов (January 9, 1924 – July 20, 1990) was an Armenian filmmaker. Parajanov is regarded by film critics, film historians and filmmakers t ...

during a performance of ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

''. After studying at the balletmaster department of

Russian Institute of Theatre Arts The Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) (russian: Российский институт театрального искусства – ГИТИС) is the largest and oldest independent theatrical arts school in Russia. Located in Moscow, ...

, he started staging ballets worldwide. In 2000, he started the balletmaster department at

Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography The Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography (YSITC; hy, Երևանի թատրոնի և կինոյի պետական ինստիտուտ) is a state university and higher education institution based in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. ...

. From 2014, he was the chief choreographer of Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet Theater. He also served as the director of Yerevan Choreographic College. He was awarded the ''People's Artist of Armenia'' honorary title. He was married to ballet dancer and teacher Nadezhda Davtyan, and had a daughter who became an opera singer, and a son who is also a ballet dancer. He died on 4 June 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Galstyan, Vilen 1941 births 2021 deaths Armenian male ballet dancers Armenian male film actors Ballet masters Soviet male actors 20th-century Armenian male actors Soviet Armenians People's Artists of Armenia People from Yerevan