In what he describes as one of the most challenging performances of his career, Professor Leon Janikian led a quartet of musicians and was clarinet soloist for a choreographed work, Armenian Moves by Mark Harootian, presented as a featured work at the Festival Ballet of Providence’s Live on Hope Series.

Mark Harootian had received a grant to choreograph a new work for the ballet. He decided to base the work on Armenian folk music. Accustomed to the freedom of performing for a listening audience, the exactitude of playing for a choreographed work with live dancers proved to be a significant challenge. The precision required for the score and the performance was a considerable challenge. The work was very well received and had a total of nine performances during the series staged at the Festival Ballet’s Hope Street space.

A video of the performance can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOTz7cmehek