A double premiere took place at the “Astana Ballet” Theater last weekend. Within two days - on October 30 and 31, two new performances by contemporary choreographers Ricardo Amarante and David Jonathan were presented to the public. Tickets for both premiere days were sold out in a matter of days, and the metropolitan spectator, yearning for high art, warmly thanked the artists with a thunderous ovation.
The evening was opened by the one-act ballet "Longing" directed by Ricardo Amarante. The public was presented with the world premiere of a ballet reflecting on the essence of human relations; an attempt, in the language of modern choreography, to understand the eternal questions: what do we really want from love, why are people so obsessed with the body, but not the soul?
After a long break, the audience saw with their own eyes the leading soloists Farkhad Buriyev, Aizhan Mukatova, Sundet Sultanov, Ilya Manaenko and other soloists of the “Astana Ballet” Theater.
“We are familiar with Ricardo's style: our bodies remember exactly how to dance his ballets, so the choreography itself was easy for us. In addition, we rehearsed it at the beginning of the year and were supposed to present it in the spring, but due to quarantine, the premiere date has shifted. It was very pleasant to return to the stage, to see the audience face to face, to feel their energy. I think all the artists after these performances were inspired by happiness,” said the leading soloist Farkhad Buriyev.
According to Ricardo Amarante, as in his other works, the decoration in this performance tends towards minimalism. With the help of the play of light, choreographer and light designer Robert Dautov created the feeling that what is happening on stage, that the viewer is observing is a dream.
“At such moments, everything that happens is seen indistinctly, covered with haze, bright flashes of light. We conveyed this whole atmosphere on stage with the help of light, smoke and screens,” the choreographer said.
According to the costume designer, each image in the ballet is a kind of hint and guide. “White color means that what is happening on the stage is a dream in which a person comes to his ideal, like the image of an angel; black speaks of the real world, but in the third part, when the artists appear in flesh-colored suits, as if naked, it is an allegory to the human soul, free from any manifestations of the material world. In this part, people meet souls,” said Paula Rosa Santana.
“Longing” is the tenth ballet created by guest choreographer Ricardo Amarante for the “Astana Ballet” Theater. With this work, the choreographer ends his work in the capital's theater.
In the second part, the audience was presented with the one-act ballet “Instinct”. This was the first acquaintance of the capital's public with the leading soloist of the “Astana Ballet” Theater David Jonathan as a choreographer-director: “It is a great honor for me that they have given me such trust. There are wonderful artists here, they adopt my style, movements, and quickly learn, for which I am very grateful, since we had very little time to prepare,” the choreographer noted.
In this abstract ballet, the choreographer turned to the topic of separation from a loved one, which is especially relevant in the current time of pandemic and closed borders. Here, music and plastic, merging in a single impulse, speak of the intolerable pain of the impossibility of the meeting.
“In the ballet, I used the music of several composers, one of whom is Jacques Lussier, who mixed Bach's works with jazz. When I heard his music, I was sure that someday, I will create a ballet for it. There is a lot of modern sound here, there are fragments where a drum sounds, and then it is replaced by sensual jazz,” said David Jonathan.
The audience noted the high technique of performance, musical solutions of the ballets, thoughtful details: costumes and lighting design. “Both performances left an indelible impression and a special aftertaste. I was amazed by the music, the play of light and how stylish everything looked on stage. The choreography is amazing, you can feel the nerve, passion and intensity of emotions in it”, - shared the spectator Aisha Tulebergenova.
By the way, another premiere will take place on November 6 and 7 at the “Astana Ballet” Theater. Choreographer Anvara Sadykova's one-act ballet “Zheltorangy turaly anyz” raises the topic of human invasion of the natural world, which today is turning into the most dire consequences.