Premiere of “Touch the Light”
Choreographer: Ilya Jivoy
Lighting Designer: Konstantin Binkin
Video Artist: Pokras Lampas
Costume Designer: Sonia Vartanyan
Music: Philip Glass
The outstanding premiere of the outgoing season on the stage of the Astana Ballet Theatre – the ballet “Touch the Light” choreographed by Ilya Jivoy, the acclaimed inventor of unusual plastique in modern ballets. The main feature of the production is calligraphy by the most famous calligrapher of our time, Pokras Lampas. The artist manually visualized the plastique of the dance, and the calligraphy is projected onto the screen and synchronized with both the music by composer Philip Glass and choreography.
“Touch the Light” is a performance at the intersection of music, fashion, street art, calligraphy, and neoclassical dance, where 6 dancers, working to the limit of their abilities, tell a touching and daring story about inner light, about the soul, and how to find themselves in this world.
“There is light inside each of us and this fire is given to us by the universe – it is an invaluable gift that can excite hearts, make destinies, and create magic. Whether it is just a small spark or an all-consuming flame, it does not matter at all if you decide to touch it...”
The program of the evening will also feature modern ballets “Love. Fear. Loss” and “Falling Angels”.
“Love. Fear. Loss”
Music by Edith Piaf, Charles Dumont, and Jacques Brel, arranged by Nataliya Chepurenko
Idea, choreography, and costumes – Ricardo Amarante
The three duets are inspired by the extraordinary life and delightful music of French singer Edith Piaf. Her music was a complete reflection of her destiny. The song “Hymn of Love” tells about the feelings that she, like everyone else, experiences at the beginning of an incipient relationship. Over time, most of her songs reveal the theme of difficulties in relationships. An example of this was the mesmerizing interpretation of “Ne me quitte pas” (Don not Leave Me). Some of the strongest feelings that any of us can experience when losing a loved one are expressed in the song “My God”. Created after the sudden death of the singer’s beloved one, it, as a mirror of her soul, reflects the full depth of the tragedy that befell this great love story...
“Falling Angels”
Music – Stephen Reich
Choreography – Jiří Kylián
Production Choreographer – Stefan Żeromski
One of the most famous works of the Czech choreographer Jiří Kylián, included in the program “Black and White Ballets”, which has been shown on the best stages of the world for more than 30 years. Famous theatres compete for the right to include Kylián’s productions into their repertoire, and every dancer dreams of performing his choreography at least once.
The symbiosis of Jiří Kylián’s choreography and Stephen Reich’s drum composition resulted in a delightful flight of eight ballerinas. The choreographer himself says the following words about his ballet: “Falling Angels is a ballet about our profession.” It is worth noting that his work is distinguished by extraordinary musicality, monochrome aesthetics, and world-class level of performance. Kylián’s ballet is a whirlwind of emotions: it gives shivers from sensuality and amazing plastique.