NUR-SULTAN – Dancers from Berlin, Kiev, Nur-Sultan, Prague, Tokyo and Saint Petersburg will treat audiences to international ballet programmes at the third Eurasian Dance Festival June 4-16 at the capital’s Astana Ballet theatre.
Photo credit: astanaballet.com.
The annual festival exposes Kazakh audiences to the world’s dance schools to make ballet, in all its forms, more accessible, and gives international dance companies an opportunity to participate in the country’s key cultural celebration. It is supported by the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sport.
Astana Ballet, founded in 2012 on President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s initiative, presents a multi-genre repertoire of original productions and national and international classics. Its programme of “Salome,” choreographed by Mukaram Avahri, will kick off the festival June 4.
Founded in 1937 by Pablo Virsky and Mykola Bolotov, Pavlo Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Ensemble is a dance company known for its innovative approach to art that nevertheless embraces Ukrainian dance traditions. Its programme, “Dance as Fate,” will showcase the ballets “Povzunets,” “Gopak,” “Zaporozhtsy,” “Matrosy,” “Under the Cherry Tree” and “Sisters” June 6.
Japan International Ballet Company is a dance company led by artistic director Vladimir Malakhov, and its programme will feature the ballets “Peri” and “Zero Body” June 10.
Mariinsky Theatre, opened in 1860, is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, Mariinsky Opera and Mariinsky Orchestra. Its programme of “Dance. Dance. Dance” will be performed by dancers Danila Korsuntsev, Igor Kolb and Yevgeny Ivanchenko June 12.
National Theatre Ballet in Prague was founded in 1883 and has a long history of performing Czech works and international classics. Its programme, “Slavic Temperament,” will include dancers Andrey Kaidanovsky, Katarzhina Kozelskaya and Ondřej Vinklát June 14.
In the meantime, the programme of Astana Opera, which opened in 2013 on Nazarbayev’s initiative, will present “Giselle” June 15.
Hungarian National Ballet dancer Aliya Tanykpayeva, Mikhailovsky Theatre dancer Leonid Sarafanov, Astana Opera dancers Bakhtiyar Adamzhan and Aigerim Beketayeva and Berlin State Ballet dancers Evelina Godunova, Marian Walter and Yolanda Correa Frias will perform alongside Astana Ballet’s leading soloists at the festival’s closing ceremony and gala concert June 16.
Tickets are available at www.ticketon.kz.
