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The Last Tightrope Dancer in Armenia

Two elderly masters of Armenian tightrope dancing search for an understudy to carry on a dying tradition.

Series

Global Voices

Premiere Date

October 17, 2010

Length

60 minutes

Funding Type

Co-Production

Zhora (76 years old) and Knyaz (77 years old) were once the most celebrated masters of tightrope dancing in Armenia. Today, they are the only surviving performers who can keep this ancient art alive against the current of contemporary society. Having been bitter rivals throughout their lives, a common objective has finally brought them together: to train the only student of tightrope dancing left in the country. Hovsep, a 16-year-old orphan boy, has to decide whether or not to accept the role of the last tightrope dancer in Armenia, in a society that has abandoned both him and the art of tightrope dancing.

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