FAMILY GIVES RUSSIAN TOUCH TO BALLET SCHOOL
By Marcia Manna

San Diego Union Tribune
9/feb/15/1mc15ballet205657-family-gives-russian-to uch-balle/?zIndex=53303
Feb 15 2009
CA

ENCINITAS — Six little ballerinas in pink tutus stood wide-eyed in
front of a wall of mirrors, distracted by their reflections. Behind
them, ballet master Valeri Tchekachev began the class by announcing
dance positions while his wife, Tatiana, demonstrated at the front
of the studio.

"Head forward, chin up, legs together, hold it . . . hold it . . . hold
it. Good!"

The girls, ages 4 and 5, tentatively copied the precise movements of
Tatiana, watching themselves in wonder as their tiny bodies transformed
through dance.

The Encinitas Ballet Academy & Arts Center has been open since August,
and it’s a dream come true for the Russian-born Tchekachev family,
which includes one daughter, Olga, and her husband, Sayat Asatryan.

Both couples have trained in Russia’s most esteemed ballet schools,
and they have danced with the Kirov Ballet, the St. Petersburg Ballet
Theatre and the Moscow Ballet.

Asatryan was born in Armenia and studied dance there, but realized
that training in Russian schools would give him an advantage.

"When I moved from Armenia to Russia, I thought, ‘I don’t know
anything,’ " Asatryan said. "Everything I learned was taught at a
higher level. Each step, each arm, each look has to be perfect."

The training is exceptional in Russia’s government-subsidized ballet
schools, which are known for producing internationally renowned
dancers.

"It has always been a popular profession to choose," said Olga,
who speaks with a soft accent. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, the
former ballerina has kept her stage name, Olga Tchekachova.

"It’s prestigious, and if you are a good dancer in a well-known
company, you get benefits and you can travel around the world. You work
very hard because you want to get with big company, such as Bolshoi
or Kirov. But in America, it can be hard to make a living as a dancer."

Valeri Tchekachev met and married Tatiana when they were in the
Leningrad State Ballet, and together they danced in more than 40
countries.

In 1998, the couple moved to Tijuana and taught underprivileged
children at Colegio La Esperanza (School of Hope) for eight years. Then
they moved to San Diego to teach and choreograph productions for the
San Diego Academy of Ballet.

Asatryan met Olga Tchekachova when he was a principal dancer for
State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara and she flew to California from
England to audition.

The life of a classical ballet dancer requires travel, and that
separated the Tchekachev family for many years.

The goal of working together and being in a position to offer a
long-term commitment to students was realized when the family launched
their own ballet school in Encinitas. The Tchekachevs, now in their
50s, teach while their daughter and her husband, who are in their 30s,
run the business and sometimes perform in productions.

The school has more than 50 students and will present "Cinderella"
in the spring at the Sherwood Auditorium in La Jolla.

"We want to put our knowledge together," Asatryan said. "We can
show quality and how it can be done in ballet. We want to give this
community the best."

The young couple are expecting a daughter in March. The family has
high hopes for the next generation.

"If she wants to dance, I would love it," Olga Tchekachova said. "But
I would give her choice to decide."

Valeri Tchekachev’s eyes lit up as he pointed to pictures of Olga
when she was a little girl, a lithe cherub in a tutu, posed in perfect
form on her toes.

"Just 4 years old, en pointe," he said proudly.