28/03/2023

Stellar April at the Astana Ballet Theatre

Since the beginning of the current X anniversary season, the Astana Ballet Theatre has been delighting its audience with both regular repertoire productions and premieres, as well as collaborations with famous artists. The capital theatre continues to gather world-famous guest stars on its stage.

On April 1 and 2, the main event of this spring will take place: for the first time, the most prominent star of modern and classical ballet, the etoile of the La Scala Theatre, People’s Artist of Russia Svetlana Zakharova will perform at Astana Ballet with her iconic role of Carmen in the legendary story of fatal love – the “Carmen Suite” production accompanied by a live orchestra as part of Ballet Globe International Festival. The roles of the proud Jose and the passionate Torero will be performed by the principal dancers of the Bolshoi Theatre Denis Savin and Artemy Belyakov. The audience will have a chance to enjoy the masterpiece by Georges Bizet and Rodion Shchedrin in the iconic production by the Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso with the participation of the dancers of the Astana Ballet Theatre.

The second part of the evening will feature the “Falling Angels” ballet. The symbiosis of Jiří Kylian’s choreography and Stephen Reich’s drum composition resulted in a delightful flight of eight ballerinas. It is worth noting that his work is distinguished by extraordinary musicality, monochrome aesthetics, and world-class level of performance. Kylian’s ballet is a whirlwind of emotions: it gives shivers from sensuality and amazing plastique. Stefan Zeromski staged the iconic production by the genius of modern dance Jiří Kylian, which has been shown on the best stages of the world for more than 30 years, on the capital’s stage.

On April 9, one of the brightest events of Astana’s theatrical life will take place: the French team Ruée des Arts with the sensational “Costard” production will perform for the first time in Kazakhstan on the stage of the Astana Ballet Theatre as part of the Francophone Spring, which is organized by the Embassy of France in Kazakhstan.

The wish to stage this choreographic play arose from various meetings with people who live in the “world of suit” every day, as well as from reflections on the topic of social representation and the image of success that is associated with a suit. The choreographic search of the director centers on a suit and the fabric which it is made of. Mixing this world with the choreography of city streets, choreographer Hafid Sour reshapes the codes. Powerful gestures of hip-hop style are enriched by the elegance of the bodies, and the movement becomes smooth and acquires poetic inspiration, creating a completely new body language among the dancers.

The event will also feature a one-act ballet “Salome” – a biblical story about the Judaic ruler’s stepdaughter, who tempted her stepfather with her dance of the “Seven Veils” and demanded the head of her beloved prophet in return. The performance fascinates the audience with the intricacy of storylines, stunning plastique, and incredible acting. Throughout the entire action, the audience is enchanted by what is happening, continuously follows the switches of a complex action, and in the finale there is a long round of applause for the actors and creators of the performance, presenting this theatrical masterpiece on stage. The performance unexceptionally causes a sensation on the stages of the world and remains forever in the heart of every spectator.