The artists of the Astana Opera Theater presented a new program of the gala ballet. The distinguished dancers of the ballet troupe staged the best examples of choreography by Marius Petipa and Agrippina Vaganova. The arrangements by Roland Petit, Sergey Mikel and Kseniya Zvereva were staged for connoisseurs of modern works. The concert featured Kazakhstan’s honored workers such as Madina Basbayeva, Rustem Seytbekov, Zhandos Aubakirov, Aigerim Beketayeva, the theater’s leading soloists Anel Rustemova, Bakhtiyar Adamzhan and other talented dancers.

BAKHTIYAR ADAMZHAN, LEADING SOLOIST, ASTANA OPERA THEATER:

I dance a pas de deux of Diana and Actaeon from La Esmeralda ballet. My pas de deux is different from other dances of the evening. There are other emotions, technique. In technical terms and the music are quite different. It is necessary to jump, spin, but to show the aesthetics of movements.

MADINA BASBAYEVA, LEADING SOLOIST, ASTANA OPERA THEATER:

Gala ballet is much more complicated than the play. The play needs to be prepared emotionally, morally, gradually. In the first act there is adagio, then the second. And here you come out and dance a pas de deux. It is much more difficult.

The gala ballet also featured the guests from Ukraine and Belarus, including leading stage master of the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belarus Konstantin Geronik and artist of Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater Ellina Pohodnyh. The soloists are the laureates of the third International Ballet Competition in Astana and the holders of the certificates entitling to perform on the stage of the main theater of the country. Konstantin Geronik performed to Astana audience the “Loneliness” and Ellina Pohodnyh performed the grand pas “Paquita” ballet. According to the artists, the gala ballet was a great opportunity not only to show their art to the Kazakh public, but also to share their experiences with the soloists of the Astana Opera Theater.