Avganean Naira

About

Naira Agvanean, born in Yerevan, Armenia, moved to Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, at the age of five with her parents and younger brother, where she began her journey in dance. Her mother, of Moldovan origin with Jewish heritage, enrolled her at the National Choreography College in the capital, where Naira passionately studied the Vaganova method, achieving notable international awards: first place at the International Ballet Competition in Odessa (2000), third place at the Austrian Dance Council Competition in Vienna (2004), and qualification for the finals of the Youth America Grand Prix in New York (2004). At 15, her family emigrated to Germany, where she continued her training at the Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung Ballet Academy in Munich, perfecting her technique and participating in numerous auditions. Since 2008, Naira has been part of the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam, where her career has evolved rapidly: from aspirant to soloist in 2022, passing through positions such as grand sujet (2014) and coryphée (2012). She has performed memorable roles in productions such as *Swan Lake*, *Giselle*, *Raymonda*, *Don Quixote*, and contemporary choreographies by Alexei Ratmansky or William Forsythe, excelling in dynamic movements, high jumps, and Latin temperament, passions she also cultivates through dances like salsa and bachata. Her collaboration with this prestigious company has provided her with contractual stability and opportunities for artistic development, contrasting with the more precarious conditions in other European countries. In addition to her career as a ballerina, Naira has married and divorced, overcome injuries and personal challenges, developing a new passion as a high-performance coach for professional dancers, offering online courses for audition preparation and mental development. Her current partner supports her in these extracurricular activities, and her ties to her Moldovan and Armenian roots remain strong through visits to her grandparents and warm memories of nature and her multicultural family, reflecting her resilience in the face of environmental changes from Chisinau to Amsterdam.