About the Festival
I am pleased to be invited to the international Eurasian Dance Festival as a production director, because I was born and studied my profession in Kazakhstan, at Almaty Choreographic School named after Seleznev. After graduating from The Russian University of Theatre Arts, I have worked in Moscow for many years, but I have always considered myself a follower of the Kazakh ballet school.
I wish the dancers and choreographers have opportunity of deeper contact in the future. And the idea of the Eurasian Dance Festival is to popularize the ballet. It is designed for residents of the city, for the public. It's not always possible to go to Beijing or New York for a performance, but now the world theaters come to Astana.
About the idea
"Astana Ballet" will present "Giselle" ballet on the first day, June 24. The 200th anniversary of Marius Petipa is celebrated around the world this year, and this is a kind of bow in his direction. But, opening the veil of secrecy, I will say that the grand opening is suddenly transferred to the foyer of the theater: 15-20 minutes of performance or presentation about praise to Terpsichore - the muse of dance. Dance is everywhere, and each person has a dancing molecule in his genes that gives rise to positive energy of sun and unity. The festival is a rapprochement of different people, cultures, we get to know each other and get closer. And abstractly taking the Greek culturev as a basis, I imagine this in the form of an enfilade or a hall of Ancient Greece. In my opinion, this theme will be developed in the final gala concert. The plastic solution will be as modern as possible. Also a photo gallery is dedicated to the history of the Kazakh ballet.
I know who will participate in the embodiment of this idea. I met with students of the Academy, the beginning directors. They are capable, but need to be directed a little. They have to learn some things on their own, to be mistaken, in order to understand and find their own language. I conducted a master class so that they could feel free and relax. The task is not easy, and they should learn a lot in a short time. For example, that the body can talk not only with classical steps, but also immerse the viewer into their inner world plastically.
About contemporary choreography and classical ballet
Modern choreography is more universal. Classical ballet does not have such a task - it demonstrates the sublime aesthetics of poses. And modern choreography is more inward. For me, ballet is first and foremost a body that speaks. And the body is anatomy, that is hands, feet and neck. These are talking muscles that have intelligence and content.
Theater "Astana Ballet" I'm still unfamiliar, but I managed to attend the rehearsal of the "Serenade" Balanchine last year. And I know that Forsyte ballet was recently staged here. For me, this determines the high level of the troupe. In order to be able to dance this choreography, we need the appropriate level of the troupe, the specificity of the technique implies the prepared body and the head of the dancer, another worldview. This is a complicated work.
I'm still unfamiliar with "Astana Ballet", but I managed to attend the rehearsal of Balanchine’s "Serenade" last year. And I know that Forsyte’s ballet was recently staged here. For me, this determines a high level of the troupe. In order to be able to dance this choreography, we need the appropriate level of the troupe, the specificity of the technique implies the dancer’s prepared body and head, another worldview. This is a complicated work.
And GATOB named after Abay is considered to be a conservative theater with rich history and traditional classical repertoire. But I also remember the interesting productions by Mintai Tleubayev and Zhanat Baidaralin. While studying at school, I saw attempts of experiments. Being an inquisitive young man, I later went to St. Petersburg, then to Moscow, where I deeply studied the plastic of drama theater. Crossing of drama and dance was not accidental in my life. Thanks to this, it was possible to take part in a play by Pina Bausch, who created a completely new genre of dance theater.
About Kazakhstan
In my youth, I visited Astana on tour with the ensemble of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, but then it was another city. And now it's a luxurious metropolis: massive construction, amazing landscapes. Astana can become the cultural capital of Eurasia in the future, the geographical location contributes to this. In addition, Astana is a young beautiful capital. I notice how fast art develops, and the festival confirms this in many ways.
Although I live abroad, I try to keep abreast of what is happening in the ballet world of Kazakhstan. I keep in touch with my classmates, learn a lot from my mother, she is a professor and a teacher at the academy. I cannot say that I know everything, but I feel my roots and I think we should remember them. Having crossed the history, you fall into a trap and you can finish quickly. Therefore, I feel a special respect for my teachers. Kazakhstan has a strong ballet tradition, especially the male tradition. We have something to show and open to the world. And we have something to learn from the world.
Source: weproject.kz