By tradition, the brightest stars of the international ballet firmament came together for the final gala concert. For a small but vivid history of the festival, viewers have already met the leading soloists of the ballet of Portugal, Russia, theaters of Lausanne, Luxembourg, Stuttgart and many other world brands. This time the star soloists of the final concert were the leading soloists of the Berlin Opera, the Hungarian State Theater, the Bolshoi Theater of Russia and the Mikhailovsky Theater (St. Petersburg). And of course, the leading soloists of the Astana Ballet Theater and Astana Opera, who shone no less, and sometimes even a little brighter than foreign stars.
It should be noted, that the concert program was very interesting and well-composed. Classics interspersed with modern productions, all types and genres of dance were subject to artists, dance lovers got acquainted with some unique performances.
The classic block was represented by pas de deux from the ballet “Giselle”, “Swan Lake”, “Corsair” and “Don Quixote”, “Classical pas de de” of Ober, adagio from the ballet Fokine “Scheherezade” and pas de deux. de from the performance "The Pharaoh's Daughter" directed by Pierre Lacotte.
From the contemporary repertoire, fragments from the performances “How Long Is Now?” by Raimondo Rebeck; "In the middle somewhat elevated" by William Forsythe; "Love Fear Loss" by Ricardo Amarante and “Elegy” by R. Rebeck.
The evening opened with the pas de deux second ballet act by A. Adana “Giselle” performed by the prima of the Hungarian State Theater Aliya Tanykpaeva and the premiere of the Mikhailovsky Theater, laureate of international competitions Leonid Sarafanov.
The favorite and the pride of the Kazakhstan public, Aliya Tanykpayeva, seemed to have not yet emerged from the state of yesterday’s premiere at the Astana Opera Theater, where, as part of the Eurasian festival, she performed the ballet “Giselle” with her participation. Stylish “sylphic” poses, a chiseled figure (amazingly, the ballerina arrived at the festival with a seven-month-old child in her arms, which is hard to believe - Aliya is in excellent ballet form!) Immediately immersed the public in the magical atmosphere of this ancient romantic ballet. And of course, the audience was won by the dance of the laureate of thearical prizes "Benoit dance", "Golden Mask", "Golden Sophit" Leonid Sarafanov! A stunning leap, the softness of noiseless touchdowns, chased skids and swift rotations, aristocratic manners - an amazing external and internal harmony of the image of Albert was created by the dancer for a few minutes of presence on the stage. And with the duo's final chords, he just flew off in a jump from the stage, creating competition in flight to the ethereal Wilis spirit.
One of the undoubted advantages of the Eurasian dance festival is the inclusion in the program of unique productions of the classical and modern repertoire. The festival organizers every year give ballet fans the opportunity to see something interesting and new, to get acquainted with recognized masterpieces and new names.
This time it was curious to see the light, perky pas de deux from the sensational staging by A. Ratmansky “The Bright Creek” to the music of Shostakovich. Artists surprisingly organically existed in the lyric-comic role of the heroes and the space of the collective farm field, proposed by the concert set designers. The audience gave a standing ovation to the artists and choreographer.
The Bolshoi Theater premieres showed another rare example of ballet art - pas de de ballet by C. Pougny's “Daughter of the Pharaoh” in the choreography of Pierre Lacotte, the main French ballet re-enactor of the 19th century.
It was more pleasant to see the skill of our artists. The duet from the performance “How long is now” by Aigerim Beketayev and Olzhas Tarlanov simply blew up the hall. A new, staged specifically for Astana Opera ballet by German choreographer Raimondo Rebeck immerses the audience into the world of the subtlest emotional experiences.
The “Astana Ballet” Theater presented two excerpts from modern ballets at the concert. William Forsythe's “In the middle somewhat elevated” is already a classic of modern dance, but this “technology of improvisation” is not for everyone, not every company can boast of the presence of this undoubted masterpiece of modern dance in the repertoire. Leading soloists of the theater Ainur Abilgazina and Farkhad Buriyev dance this performance from the first days of its appearance in the repertoire poster and every time, like a pool, they plunge into the atmosphere of momentary improvisation, instant reactions and courage. Each time it turns out differently. This choreography fascinates the audience, despite the complete lack of plot, the hall seemed to stop and immediately exploded with boom of applause.
The leading soloist of “Astana Ballet”, Ilya Manaenkov, and the theater's soloist, Marina Kadyrkulova, also blew up the hall with a passionate, emotional performance of a fragment from the ballet “Love Fear Loss”, Ricardo Amarante, in memory of Edith Piaf.
Marian Walter and Yolanda Correa, soloists of the State Ballet of Berlin, performed a number directed by R. Rebeck, “Elegy” to music by Arvo Pärt. But he did not make a strong impression. The partners probably did not feel each other and the subtlest choreography, based on nuances, did not develop into an elegy.
But the hall truly rejoiced with each appearance of Bakhtiyar Adamzhan, the recognized leader of national and world ballet. In tandem with technical and light, as if fluttering soloist of the Berlin Theater Evelina Godunova, they performed two classical duos: from A. Adan’s ballet “Corsair” and “Don Quixote” by L. Minkus. Win-win competitive pas de deux requiring impeccable technique and craftsmanship were performed by artists not only cleanly and easily, but also with great artistic drive, which spread over the ramp and infected the auditorium with its energy!
The audience applauded the standing defile of world ballet stars, iridescent confetti, which at the end of the Gala enveloped the stage, expressed the general mood from the Gala concert - it was enchanting!
The III Eurasian festival of ballet art is gaining strength and the number of its followers every year, becoming one of the most anticipated events in the cultural life of the capital city.
The festival is over, but the audience will look forward to the next one, which will undoubtedly bring a lot of new discoveries and impressions.