Sona Kharatian, of Yerevan, Armenia, is in her eighth season with The Washington Ballet after dancing with Southern Ballet Theater of Florida and ARKA Ballet, each for two seasons. Prior to that, she was an apprentice with The Washington Ballet for two seasons. Ms. Kharatian began her early ballet training at the Choreographic Institute in Yerevan, and later studied at The Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington and The Washington School of Ballet, where she was a member of the Young Dancers. A member of the Trey McIntyre project, and a frequent guest artist with ARKA Ballet, she is also a two-time recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award.