To study, teach, and popularize traditional songs and dances

The “National Song and Dance Academy” educational-cultural foundation (NSDA) was founded in 2015.

It was established by the Ayb Educational Foundation and renowned Armenian dance expert, folklorist, public figure, founder of the “Karin” traditional song and dance ensemble, Honored Art Worker of Armenia Gagik Ginosyan.

The mission of the foundation is to collect, study, teach, stage, and popularize national songs and dances, returning them to everyday life, making them a living part of the Armenian people’s culture—one that everyone can become a bearer of—and to contribute to the development of national self-awareness.

Throughout its activity, NSDA has carried out extensive work and achieved tangible results across several directions.

NSDA continues its work with renewed momentum, setting before itself several ambitious goals:

• Introduction of the “National Song and Dance” subject in schools
• Dance in the army
• “Karin” Scientific Center for the study and research of Armenian traditional culture
• School of traditional culture
• Master’s program
• Organization of an annual festival

Since the day of its establishment, the National Song and Dance Academy foundation has persistently—despite challenges—solved and continues to solve the tasks set before it, aiming through its full scope of activities to contribute to the preservation and promotion of Armenian traditional culture.

Over roughly 10 years, the work carried out in this direction has utilized the full capacity of the “Karin” traditional song and dance ensemble: every year, hundreds of teachers have undergone professional training and examinations; the theoretical and practical components of the taught material have been presented with accessible scholarly analysis; special teaching methodologies have been developed and delivered—and much more.