On October 22 and 23, a tour of the Astana Ballet Theatre in Karaganda was held very successfully with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The program on the stage of the Karaganda Academic Theatre of Musical Comedy featured the following ballets: “Falling Angels” by Jiří Kylián, and “The Arcana of Fate” to the music by the famous Kazakhstani composer Karina Abdullina staged by Mukaram Avakhri.
“We are very glad that we have a wonderful opportunity to perform in front of our beloved audience, because touring is the most significant part of creative activity for every artist, without which there is no comprehensive development and professional growth. It is very valuable that in Kazakhstan we are presenting a wonderful ballet by a Kazakhstani composer and a Kazakhstani choreographer. The audience of Karaganda warmly received us, and I hope the performance by our dancers graced the cultural program of the city,” said Alexandr Sovostyanov, director of the Astana Ballet Theatre.
In the first part of the evening, the audience of Karaganda was presented with the “Falling Angels” ballet, which is one of the most famous black-and-white ballets by Jiří Kylián to the drumming by Steve Reich performed by the percussion group of the symphony orchestra of the theatre. A special “Kylián style”, abstracted from the typical classics, gives the production a special magnetism. A fusion of music and dance occurs on stage. It was impossible not to notice the complete silence in the auditorium: the spectators, immersed in the actions on the stage, did not even seem to breathe, and it seemed that their heartbeat was in unison with the drums…
The second part featured “The Arcana of Fate” ballet choreographed by Mukaram Avakhri. This ballet is already beloved by the public. The idea of the ballet themed on tarot cards belongs to Karina Abdullina, who is the composer and author of the libretto. She perceives ancient cards that have come to us from the remote past as a projection of the subtle world of the subconscious things. Each arcanum is perceived like a step to a person’s understanding of himself or herself.
“Some images were suitable to the dancers intuitively, some of them, on the contrary, were unsuitable to their characters,” said Mukaram Avakhri. “Before the beginning of the production process, I did not reveal the topic of the production, gradually they themselves understood what was happening. After all, if we say it literally, the magic that, as it seems to me, is present in this ballet disappears.”
According to Karina Abdullina, she dedicated the ballet to the blessed memory of her closest and warmest friend, a great musician, all-time guitarist of the “Musicola” music band, composer Bulat Syzdykov, who was born in Karaganda.
Throughout the whole performance there is a pervasive theme of fate and the general atmosphere of the Middle Ages, which is heard in the music, and finds its complete embodiment in Gothic stained-glass windows, costumes, as well as in the idea of carnival and masks. Laconic scenery, unusual technical solutions, incredible costumes, and a special charisma of the performers give it some kind of magical charm. The reaction of the spectators after the performance showed that the ballet was liked by them and caused the most positive emotions.
It is also worth noting that on October 23, the leading soloists of the Astana Ballet Theatre Ainura Abilgazina and Sundet Sultanov took part in the final gala concert of the “DosStar” international operetta and musical festival, where they performed the adagio from the “Kozy Korpesh - Bayan Sulu” ballet to the music by Aktoty Raimkulova choreographed by Heorhii Kovtun and the adagio from the “Spartacus” ballet by Aram Khachaturian.