Angels of the Iconostasis. Design for the television dance drama Noah and the Flood

Rouben Ter-Arutunian was an American set and costume designer whose work defined the visual language of postwar American dance and theater. Working primarily with choreographer George Balanchine at New York City Ballet, he created spare, elegant environments that prioritized the dancer's body and movement over narrative spectacle. His designs combined modernist abstraction with classical restraint, using minimal props, geometric forms, and strategic lighting to amplify the physicality of performance. This profile will be expanded as more verified source material becomes available.