The Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet hosted a concert exam by the 4th-year students of the Dance Department of the Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU).

The graduation examination coincided with an important event - the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Chair of Dance Pedagogy and Its Teaching Methods.

For half a century, the Chair has been the only higher scientific institution in the country in the field of dance arts, where hundreds of students have received professional education thanks to its distinguished professors.

Today, many of them congratulated their beloved Alma Mater from different parts of the world through video messages, emphasizing the Chair’s important role in their professional development.

Acting Rector of ASPU Lilit Mkrtchyan also congratulated the graduating students. She said the day was a double holiday for ASPU: not only were they saying goodbye to another generation of graduates, but they were also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Chair - a half-century journey filled with creative dedication, professional achievements, and the important mission of preserving and developing national culture.

“Dear graduates, you are completing your studies in a department whose history has been written through the work of devoted individuals, love for art, and loyalty to national values. You are the bearers and continuers of that history. You bear the responsibility not only to achieve professional success, but also to preserve the spirit of Armenian dance and present it in a new way,” she said. Lilit Mkrtchyan also expressed special gratitude to the lecturers, who, for many years, have developed the best traditions of Armenian dance art through their experience, patience, and dedication.

In his congratulatory speech, Professor Karen Gevorgyan, Head of the Chair of Dance Pedagogy at ASPU, emphasized that the 50-year journey of the Chair has been shaped through the unwavering love, cultural boldness, creative spirit, and loyalty to national culture of those who were committed to their mission.

This year, the concert program was diverse, ranging from the presentation of an open class in classical dance to folk dances and world dance styles, including Spanish Flamenco, Georgian Davluri, Greek Syrtaki, Russian khorovod (round dance), Italian Tarantella, and many others.

The author and artistic director of the project was Karen Gevorgyan, Honored Cultural Figure of the Republic of Armenia, Head of the Chair of Dance Pedagogy at ASPU. The supervisor was Gohar Abrahamyan, and the choreographer - Lusine Arakelyan.

During the concert, the audience also had the opportunity to enjoy excerpts from choreographic performances of different years, including Kaj Nazar (Nazar the Brave), Gikor, “We Are Yerevan,” “Big Win,” etc.

Throughout the event, the audience watched videos from the learning process, including an introduction to Armenian and European dances, the origins, choreographic structure, and other related themes.