Astana Opera Ballet troupe triumphantly performed in St. Petersburg. On February 1 and 2, the stars of the Kazakh ballet presented Notre Dame de Paris at the new stage of Mariinsky Theatre. It is not the first time when the Kazakh artists perform in the cultural capital of Russia. Astana Opera’s first performance on this legendary stage took place three years ago. Then St. Petersburg saw the opera "Birzhan - Sara", "Attila" and a gala-ballet concert. This time, the audience enjoyed innovative and provocative staging of the novel by Victor Hugo.

ALTYNAI ASSYLMURATOVA, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, BALLET TROUPE OF ASTANA OPERA:

We thank the theater’s management because we received an opportunity to perform on this stage. It is very exciting and challenging for us. Many might remember that the last staging of Notre Dame de Paris was held in the 1980s. At that time it was Kirov Ballet Theatre. Therefore, we wanted to please the St. Petersburg audience, so they could enjoy the performance.

Astana Opera’s strongest team performed in the cultural capital of Russia. The parts of Quasimodo and Esmeralda were sung by winners of Grand Prix and other international competitions Bakhtiar Adamzhan, Honored Kazakh artists Rustem Seytbekov, Aigerim Beketayeva and Madina Basbaeva.

AIGERIM BEKETAYEVA, LEADING SOLOIST, ASTANA OPERA:

We have been preparing for this beautiful ballet with a choreographer Luigi Bonino. He told us about each part as much as possible. It was very interesting. We have dealt with this sort of choreography for the first time. The music is very interesting too. We literally counted every step and move.

BAKHTIYAR ADAMZHAN, LEADING SOLOIST, ASTANA OPERA:

It is a great art to show great love, the inner world through the ugliness and convey this to the audience only by dancing, because there is no hump on my back. I had to do two things simultaneously - to portray the ugliness and show his love through the eyes and certain choreographic plasticity.

As the theater’s management says, touring to the city on the Neva became another challenge for the ballet troupe, but the young artists have coped with it really well. St. Petersburg’s audience was impressed with the ballet. The play received positive feedback from viewers and critics.

Astana Opera tour took place as part of EXPO 2017 cultural program. Mariinsky Theatre artists are now awaited for a visit in Astana.