DANCE PEDAGOG
Yelena Avedisian
(b. 25 Jan. 1910; d. 2 Jul. 2000)
Born in Istanbul and known in Iran as Madame Yelena, she was an Armenian descendant member of a wealthy family who escaped the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in Turkey. She migrated first to Bulgaria, later Russia, followed by Armenia and finally Iran.
Early Education and Migration to Iran
Yelena Avedisian received her dance education at the Odessa Ballet Institute in Russia and was also trained as an opera singer and actress during her upbringing. She married her Iranian-Armenian husband in Armenia and moved to Iran, settling in Tabriz in 1927, where she established her own dance school, Madame Yelena’s Ballet School, in 1933. She staged several performances, among them the opera Anoush at the Red Lion and the Sun Theatre Hall in Tabriz.
Career and Recognition
Avedisian moved her dance school to Tehran in 1945 and soon received recognition and support from the Ministry of Culture and Arts. In 1962, she established the Armenian-Iranian Song and Dance Ensemble, a touring company that performed during various official state events. Her multifaceted productions included theater plays, song concerts, and dance performances based on Iranian and Armenian folklore, literature, and popular culture. She was the recipient of several medals, awards, and accolades and earned royal and national medals of honor for some of her productions. Shortly after the Islamic Revolution, she moved to Los Angeles, United States. She was honored by a tribute gala in 1999 organized by the Armenian Society of Los Angeles on her 90th birthday. She passed away in 2000 in Los Angeles.