Introdans

MASTERS

One-act ballets

Alexandrinsky theatre12+

April 27, 2019

Dutch company Introdans offers an amazing programme of dance works from their award winning repertoire. Considered one of Europe’s leading touring companies, Introdans works in a neo-classical ballet idiom that will definitely delight both ballet and contemporary dance lovers alike. With their programme Introdans presents a captivating mix of repertoire of the Dutch masters Hans van Manen and Nils Christe together with the energetic work of Spanish choreographer Cayetano Soto.

 CANTUS

Choreography: Nils Christe Music: Arvo Pärt

…wave upon wave of dancers surge onto the stage to overwhelm us with fierce outbursts of movement.

In CANTUS the Dutch choreographer Nils Christe follows his fundamental rule: the dance always begins with the music. For him, the music piece of the most famous modern composer Arvo Pärt became a starting point for developing the choreography of the one-act ballet. The greatest achievement of Christe is that he succeeds to make invisible musical sound visible in dancer’s movements. But at the same time Christe not only illustrates the music — he transfers its destructive emotional power. The ballet is performed by a large group of dancers, they all have possibility to dance on the stage — in solo or duets. Thus, the ballet of Nils Christe takes the best of each dancer, helps them to unlock their creative individuality. All dancers, without exception, have an excellent technique; they strike spectators with their light jumps and supports, perfect turns, plasticity and musicality. Fast tempos, synchronicity of crowd scenes, wave-shaped movements, typical for Christe’s choreography, impress and energize the audience.

World Premiere: September 19, 2015, Arnhem Duration: 30 minutes

POLISH PIECES

Premiere in St.Petersburg

Choreography: Hans van ManenMusic: Henryk Mikolaj Górecki

The master’s signature is clearly visible in Hans van Manen’s rousing Polish Pieces…

Undoubtedly, “Polish Pieces” may be considered one of the most outstanding works by Hans van Manen. This rich ensemble choreography, performed to the vibrant music of modern Polish composer Henryk Mikolaj Górecki, creates fresh dance combinations striking with exciting game of lines. Twelve dancers in colorful costumes run into one another on the stage, they create incredible kaleidoscope of images, feelings and shapes contrasting with unexpected rest points that give start to the development of new themes. The two sensual and lyric pas de deux are particularly remarkable in this ballet; it looks like the calm before the storm. Men in yellow and orange, women in blue and purple remind the shades of day and night, the contrasts between summer and winter. Faced with each other, like weather fronts, they radiate powerful energy on the grey background.

World Premiere: February 23, 1995, Nederlands Dans Theater, The Hague Duration: 21 minutes

CONRAZONCORAZON

Premiere in Russia

Choreography: Cayetano SotoMusic: Rina Ketty, Michel Legrand, Xavier Cugat, Jack Costanzo, Monna Bell, Toña la Negra, Pérez Prado, Barney Kessel, Los Panchos

He juggles with the typical Spanish sense of camp and drama, with an ironic wink and Latin passion.

Cayetano Soto’s choreography is ingenious and impetuous, it is radiating dance enjoyment and with every pass it is falling to sparks of admiration. Physically tangible pressure, rave of colors and grotesque images sometimes refer us to the times of Weimar Republic cabaret. Acrobatic elements, unisex costumes and stylish riding helmets bring notes of competitiveness, demonstration of certainty and commitment into this performance.The American newspapers called Conrazoncorazon one of the most outstanding events of the famous Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.

World Premiere: November 3, 2016, Ballet BC, VancouverDuration: 24 minutes

Ballett Dortmund

ALICE

Based on Alice in Wonderland by Lewis CarrollPremiere in Russia

Choreography: Mauro BigonzettiMusic: Antongiulio Galeandro, Lorella Monti, Enza Prestia, Enza Pagliara, Cristina Vetrone

Alexandrinsky Theatre 12+

April 21 & 22, 2019

If the rationality doesn’t help to change the world for the better, than maybe, we should become a little bit crazy? What a chance! Even for the one evening! What could be more fascinating than a chance to discover something extraordinary, to break from everyday routine, to escape from reality in a dream…? Take your old photos and remember the times when you were a young fragile teenager from the looking-glass world. Take him and open door to adventures! You will make a fascinating trip to the Wonderland where you will visit the most absurd tea ceremony in the world, spin in a whirlwind of books from the palace library and find yourself on the bottom of porcelain cup. You will be charmed by the erotic duet of the Cheshire Cat and the pussy cat Diana, the lacemaking of smoking Blue Caterpillar, the electric dancing of the Red Queen and, of course, by the demonic technique of the Mad Hatter. As for Alice, she will help you to discover important things about yourself. After this unforgettable trip you will never be the same person. You will become younger, more courageous and brave. Now you can overcome boredom, avoid stupidity and dullness. In brief, Alice — it’s not just a high-technology scenography, 3D-animation and ingenious choreography. That’s an incredible performance and fascinating story, and also it’s a great therapy session for all tired or bored. Impossible to miss.

World Premiere: 25 June 2014, Theaterhaus Stuttgart Duration: 2 hours with one intermission

Thus spoke Alice

«Curiouser and curiouser!» cried Alice.

All Bigonzetti characters are colorfully and accurately represented, but still the choreographer leaves a lot to the imagination.

Alice — it’s a magic and wonder show performed by virtuosos of dance.

«Must see» for everyone who is ready to follow the magic of surrealistic images and associations.

Virtuosity is in this crazy ballet Bigonzetti's big topic.

The choreographer is particularly concerned about the central idea of the Alice’s story: how troubling and dangerous is the world where natural and usual laws don’t work anymore.

Original and Live Music: Antongiulio Galeandro, Lorella Monti, Enza Prestia, Enza Pagliara, Cristina Vetrone Libretto: Based on Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Choreography: Mauro Bigonzetti Set and Lighting Designer: Carlo Cerri Сostumes: Helena de Medeiros Video: Carlo Cerri, OOOPStudio Assistant choreographer: Macha Daudel Performed by : Small Alice — Sayaka Wakita Big Alice — Jana Nenadovic Queen — Sae Tamura Cat — Jelena-Ana Stupar Tomcat — Erik Sosa Sánchez Hatter — Javier Cacheiro Rabbit — Francesco Nigro Caterpillar — Dustin True Twins — Amanda Vieira,Manuela Souza Turtle — Amanda Vieira Ghiro — Matheus Vaz Duet — Stephanine Ricciardi, Dann Wilkinson Gryphone — Simon Jones Court Scene: Jelena-Ana Stupar, Amanda Vieira, Manuela Souza, Stephanine Ricciardi, Clara Sorzano, Caroline Vandenberg, Charlotte Kragh, Matheus Vaz, Erik Sosa Sánchez, Simon Jones, Shai Ottolenghi, Dustrin True, Dann Wilkinson, Pedro Frizon, William Castro Hechavarria, Javier Cacheiro.

  The literary template: Alice is a little girl. On a summer afternoon she sits in the garden and gets bored. There comes a white rabbit with a clock pasted by. ˮNo time, no timeˮ, it shouts excitedly and keeps on hurrying. Alice follows the strange animal into his burrow and thus gets into the Other World, the realm of the Queen of Hearts. There, the real world is literally turned upside down. Alice meets many strange characters there. A Cheshire Cat gives wise advice. A Mad Hatter says that every hour of the day is ˮtea-timeˮ. From time to time, a bloodcurdling scream goes through the kingdom: ˮHead off, head off!ˮ This is the Queen of Hearts who thinks someone has eaten some of her tarts. Alice is also charged in a show trial, but she can avert the impending disaster by simply awakening from her summer afternoon slumber. Everything was just a dream. — Really? The ballet: In his choreographic interpretation of the children’s book, classic ˮAlice in Wonderlandˮ by Lewis Carroll, star choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti makes use of various elements from the book, but re-assembles them in free association into a fantasy — fantasy about the search for one’s own identity. The focus is Alice. She is embodied by two dancers. One stands for the little girl Alice in the real world, the other — for the adventure girl who runs after a white rabbit and rushes headlong into a world that puts her mind to the test. Will the two Alices move apart, or will they find each other again? Numerous figures, the author Lewis Carroll has devised, are found in the creation of Mauro Bigonzetti again, though mentally spun. And each is part of Alice, who discovers Wonderland in herself.

Perm Ballet

NUTCRACKER

Ballet-feerie in 2 acts with epiloguePremiere in St.Petersburg

Libretto: Alexey Miroshnichenko Based on the fairytale of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann "Nutcracker and Mouse King"Choreography: Alexey MiroshnichenkoMusic: Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Alexandrinsky Theatre 6+

April 19, 19:00

This fairytale is out of season. The story of Nutcracker became a cosmic one as soon as it was born. The magic snowflakes will whirl following the Tchaikovsky’s music for so long as the children will grow up and the adults will believe in miracle. The version by Miroshnichenko is not a fantasy after the famous storyline, but a veritable classic ballet, yet absolutely new, and, in the same time, magnificent, dramatic and kind. The events of the show take place in St. Petersburg in 1892 (that’s when the Nutcracker was premiered on the Mariinsky stage). Delicate, impressive and detailed scenography by Alyona Pikalova will bring you into a happy St. Petersburg's house where at the place of one of the kids you may even imagine your own great grandmother. Interiors, furniture, dishes, and toys – all here is so living, warm and authentic that it’s moving you to tears. The history of Mary, it’s not just a dream and fairytale; it’s a touching history about how we let go of our childhood illusions. Of course, Mary is the main character here, but all the other figures are also very colorful and remarkable: each of them possess his own recognizable personality and his own fascinating dance. Irrespective of your age, you will believe in this Nutcracker. This fairytale, like a favorite toy, raises the most important feelings and sentiments that keep us warm all our life long. This spectacle is worth visiting with family. The children will especially enjoy it. And maybe some adult will remember and realize that growing up is not so easy as it seems.

World Premiere: 29 October 2017, Perm Opera and Ballet TheaterDuration: 2 hours with one intermission

«Nutcracker»: flowers instead of sweets

Tchaikovsky: involuntary assumption of power

Interview with choreographer: «Nutcracker has followed me all my life»

This fairytale shows us that love can animate everything in the world, even a doll. And also — that absence of love can turn a human into a doll.

In musical world of Tchaikovsky the choreographer successfully feels the rhythm of modern life which sometimes looks like phantasmagoria.

Music: Pyotr Tchaikovsky Libretto: Alexey Miroshnichenko, based on the tale by E. T. A. Hoffmann Choreography: Alexey Miroshnichenko Musical Director and Conductor: Artyom Abashev Set Designer: Alyona Pikalova Costume Designer: Tatiana Noginova Lighting Designer: Alexey Khoroshev Assistant Set Designer: Svetlana Nechayeva Chorus Master: Tatiana Stepanova Performed by: : Herr Drosselmeyer — German Starikov Herr Stahlbaum — Sergei Kreker Frau Stahlbaum — Anastasia Kostyuk Marie — Polina Buldakova The Nutcracker, the Prince — Gabriel Lopez Fritz — Alexander Taranov The Mouse King — Ivan Tkachenko Louise — Olga Zavgorodnyaya Grandmother — Galina Frolova Grandfather — Vitaly Dubrovin Fashionable Girlfriends — Elena Khvatova, Ekaterina Poleshchuk Officers — Rasmus Ahlgren, Georgy Enaldiev, Nikolay Lantsev DANCES OF THE SECOND ACT Spanish Couple — Larisa Moskalenko, Ivan Tkachenko Arabian Couple — Albina Rangulova, Georgy Enaldiev Chinese Couple — Ekaterina Pyatysheva, Arnay Omarbayev Russian Couple — Elena Khvatova, Artyom Mishakov French Couple — Anna Terentieva,Denis Tolmazov Italian Couple — Ksenia Barbashyova, Taras Tovstyuk WALTZ OF THE FLOWERS The Rose — Pavel Savin The Lily — Nikolay Lantsev The Peony — Roman Tarkhanov The Lotus — Kirill Makurin Policeman, Chimney Sweep, Bourgeois Family, Drunk Workers, Students, Priest, Raree-Show Man, Street Kids, Grocers, Guests, Nanny, Housemaid, Cooks, Princess With A Pug, Footman, Governess, Mice, Soldiers, Horsemen, Bear Cubs, Snowflakes, Flowers,Pages — ballet dancers and extras Angels — students of the Perm State Ballet School

ACT Ifirst scene 1892. In St. Petersburg Christmas preparations are underway. A festive atmosphere permeates the streets. Within this yuletide paradise, curious urchins have gathered, a nobleman keeps order,grocers furnish the frozen city dwellers with tea, cakes and sweets. Hurriedly following on behind the numerous guests who have descended on the Stahlbaum’s house is councilman Drosselmeyer.He has prepared a special gift for his goddaughter Marie. second scene The Stahlbaums are receiving guests into their home. Preparations for the celebration are complete. Following a signal from the host, the overhead light is extinguished, and the Christmas tree lit up by multicoloured lights. Everyone gasps in amazement.But wait, what’s this? Marie makes out a young officer, who appears to emerge from an old painting hanging on the wall, and asks for her help. Curiously, apart from Marie, no one notices him.. Yet already in the dining room the lights are back on again and children receive their long-awaited presents. Merry dancing begins. Councilman Drosselmeyer enters.Children rush over to him, since he always thinks up something exciting and unusual! Today the godfather has brought costumes and masks, so that the adults can act out the home performance about Princess Pirlipat. Louise — Marie’s sister is to be the princess, and her parents — King and Queen. Grandfather is given Mousilda’s costume while Drosselmeyer’s nephew gets to be the kitchen boy. Drosselmeyer begins his story…Having not been given anything to eat,the frozen Mousilda to the Mouse King and she bites the sleeping Pirlipat. The princess becomes so ugly that even the King and Queen are on the verge of fainting at the sight of her. The King summons Drosselmeyer and orders him to save the princess. But it’s her brother — the councilman’s nephew who comes to her rescue. He gives Pirlipat the magic nut Krakatuk, and her beauty is restored. The mouse is angry beyond all measure. Wanting to get revenge, Mousilda commands her son to attack the courageous boy. All it takes is one bite and Drosselmeyer’s nephew is transformed into a hideous-looking monster, with an enormous mouth. So, what does Pirlipat do? Instead of bestowing thanks upon her saviour — who has now taken on such an ugly appearance — she shuns him… “Poor hero!” Marie with tears in her eyes rushes up to him. “I would never have behaved to you how cruel Pirlipat has!” Drosselmeyer says that from now on his nephew is the Nutcracker, who will continue to crack nuts forever. Mousilda’s bitter revenge for the Krakatuk nut.“But surely there is a way to save him?” exclaims Marie. “There might be,” replies Drosselmeyer, “but only if a kind-hearted girl is to fall in love with the Nutcracker and help him fight the Mouse King”. Meanwhile, Fritz, Marie’s brother, grabs the Nutcracker to see whether he can crack the biggest nut. The children pull the toy back and forth toward one another and break it. Marie cries, but her godfather fixes the Nutcracker and gives it back to her. Happy, she clutches her beloved, while Fritz and the other boys turn their attention to the to the toy soldiers, making noise all about the house. Having seen that everything has fallen back into place, Stahlbaum invites guests to dance the charming old Grossvater Tanz, which quickly breaks into a cheerful gallop. third scene A nanny takes Marie to bed. But she is still so enraptured by the events of the party — particularly the story about Princess Pirlipat. Finally, the nanny manages to calm her, and Marie falls asleep. The room takes on a magical glow. In her dream, Marie sees how the kitchen boy from the performance earlier at the party stole the sweets and got caught in the act. Her older sister Louise dressed as Pirlipat beseeches the King and Queen to release the boy, but they do not bow to her request. Meanwhile, further events unfold:the Mouse King appears and menacingly looms over Marie. She opens her eyes in horror. The clock strikes midnight. Drosselmeyer enters the bedroom. He looks a little odd,and doesn’t see Marie, while he peers closely at his watch dial, expectantly, as if waiting for something. fourth scene With a wave of the councilman’s hand the walls in Marie’s bedroom rise up off 60 the ground, and she finds herself in the dining room. The room expands, the tree grows, the buffet turns into a fortress, and the fireplace becomes enormous. And who can be found under the table but the Mouse King — along with his entire mouse army! Drosselmeyer and Marie hide behind the armchair on which the Nutcracker is sleeping. The duty officer at the fortress raises the alarm. A gun shot is fired, waking up the Nutcracker. He bravely leads the soldiers in battle against the mouse troops. But the mice are dropping like flies, and the Nutcracker must take on their leader singlehandedly. Wanting to help the Nutcracker, Marie throws her slipper at the Mouse King. This proves a handy diversion — the Nutcracker then deals him a hefty blow. The injured Mouse King wails as he pushes the Nutcracker who then collapses with exhaustion. The mice are running away Marie is beside herself. She doesn’t know whether her darling Nutcracker is still alive. But Drosselmeyer at that moment appears alongside her. He tells Marie to go up to the hero. He is barely recognizable — is it really the Nutcracker? — and then something wonderful happens: he turns into a handsome prince. The prince bows to Marie’s feet and declares his love for her. fifth scene It would seem like a fairy-tale ending, but there’s still more to come. On their journey, Marie and the Prince are confronted by a magical, winter forest. Spikey snowflakes try to freeze all their feeling and put them to sleep forever. But the Marie’s self-assured nature, the Prince’s courage and their faith in happiness calls on the help of the angels. Their sublime song of the angels succeeds in repelling the frenzied whirlwind of snowflakes. From the depths of the forest bears emerge and they take Marie and the Prince to Blumenburg — a fantastical city, where lovers inhabit the blossom-filled gardens and dreams come true. ACT II first scene Marie and the Prince continue on their wanderings. The angels fly on ahead to protect them from any hurdles along the way. In Blumenburg, lovers from all over the world are on hand to welcome the guests. The royal page boys show the new arrivals the way. second scene The King and Queen of Blumenburg are preparing to receive their guests. Fairies gather flowers of every kind in the garden. From the crowd of gathered townsfolk, Marie and the Prince emerge.The Prince talks of his ordeal in the guise of the Nutcracker and lets it be known to all that it was Marie who saved him. The party begins. Spanish, Arabian, Chinese, Russian, French and Italian dancers parade before the guests. The Prince and Marie are enthralled by their dancing. The King and Queen present the protagonists with a fragrant bouquet of lotus flower, peonies, roses and lilies which are also surrounding them in a wonderous dance. Marie and the Prince are happy beyond measure; they experience feelings of extreme warmth and tenderness. The Prince asks Marie if she will remain in this land of love with him forever. Marie hesitates for a second to grant him his wish — and the spell is broken: the magical town fades away and the lovers turn back into a pair of puppets. “Wait!” exclaims Marie; she’s ready, she agrees. She asks the Prince to forgive her fleeting reservations — but he’s already turned back into the Nutcracker. “Oh, what have I done!” Marie cries. Everything has disappeared. She runs forward, trying in vain to glimpse a hint of anything in the distance. Out of nowhere Drosselmeyer appears. Marie tries to run towards him, but she is overcome with weakness and stripped of all feeling. third and fourth scenes An alarming noise wakes Marie. She opens her eyes and realises that she is at home, in her bed. Fritz with his brand-new trumpet, given to him yesterday, has come crashing in, in order to wake his sister. Mrs Stahlbaum enters behind him along with the nanny. They are relieved to find Marie still in her bed. Yet Marie doesn’t feel herself. She searches high and low for the Nutcracker, and unable to find him anywhere, goes rushing out onto the street. She must find Drosselmeyer.Only he will believe her secret about the Nutcracker — he is the only one she can talk to about her dream. fifth scene Christmas night has passed, the festive mood continues to prevail on the streets of St. Petersburg. Marie runs to the square in which the city carnival is taking place. Strangely, everything seems to resemble her dream! The merry street entertainers looked like the lovers from around the world. “And the King and the Queen from Blumenburg looked very familiar… Ah, of, course — they looked like my parents!” realises Marie.And there’s Drosselmeyer, except he’s not alone, but with a young boy. Marie joyfully runs toward her godfather and begins to recount her amazing dream. “Allow me if you will, the councilman says with a smile, to introduce my nephew.” The young boy greets Marie and upon seeing him, she notices he bears an uncanny resemblance to the Nutcracker Prince. The young boy also senses he’s seen Marie somewhere before. Their recognizing one another turns from amazement into joy. “Something tells me,” councilman Drosselmeyer mutters under his breath as he looks at them both, “is that Marie will almost certainly never repeat the mistake made by Princess Pirlipat.

Ballett Zürich

WINTERREISE

Premiere in Russia

Choreography: Christian SpuckMusic: Franz Schubert / Hans Zender

Alexandrinsky Theatre 12+

April 17, 2019

Winter Journey (WINTERREISE) — it’s a multilaterally yet integral masterpiece, which absorbed the lyric fragility of Wilhelm Müller’s poetry and the inner turmoil of Franz Schubert’s music. The Hans Zender’s interpretation for tenor and small orchestra has enhanced the reflexing of musical themes and has made the dramaturgy of the character even deeper. The vibrant music and singing immerse the audience into the on-going process of creation. The Christian Spuck’s choreography, though based on the musical narrative, does not repeat the music nor the text, but it creates an open space for expressing its own emotions. Spuck is the master of the richest chorographical lexicon (he always finds appropriate methods to make the audience feel a particular emotion), and the virtuosic Ballett Zürich always realizes all his ideas with a phenomenal accuracy. Solidity and gentleness, angular hands and legs which turn into flowing forms and movements, the choreography of silence and reflection — all that weaves dances both magic and horrible. The choreographer sets great challenges not only for his solo performers: all crowd scenes and passages between the songs are very important for him, as well as the personal contribution of each artist to the whole piece. Müller and Schubert meditate about the solitude, thrill and world pain in their works. And the German composer Hans Zender brings additional layer of this anxious transmigration of souls. Very few artistic works would be able to express such an existentially disrupted human life. But Spuck abstracts himself from the original material and thus he acquires deeper meanings, develops his own new dancing and musical genre which, according to the critics, has nothing in common with the traditional ballet. But meanwhile, he explores such universal themes as love, melancholy, estrangement and omission… Basing on one of the greatest world masterpiece he discovers new horizons for understanding the human life by using the language of dance.

World premiere: 13 October 2018, the Zurich Opera House          Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes without intermission

Music: Franz Schubert/Hans Zender Choreography: Christian Spuck Dramaturgy: Christian Spuck & Michael Küster Set Designer: Rufus Didwiszus Сostumes: Emma Ryott Lighting Designer: Martin Gebhardt Recording: Hans Zender: Schubert’s «Winterreise» A composed interpretation for tenor and small orchestra Christoph Prégardien/Klang Forum Wien/Sylvain Cambreling CD Kairos 0012002KAI Performed by: Inna Bilash, Mélanie Borel, Francesca Dell’Aria, Eléonore Guérineau, Yen Han, Irmina Kopaczynska, Mélissa Ligurgo, Sujung Lim, Aurore Lissitzky, Meiri Maeda, Constanza Perotta Altube, Alba Sempere Torres, Elena Vostrotina, Michelle Willems, Elizabeth Wisenberg, Katja Wünsche, Cohen Aitchison-Dugas, Esteban Berlanga, Yannick Bittencourt, Jan Casier, Wei Chen, Jesse Fraser, Mark Geilings, Alexander Jones, Matthew Knight, William Moore, Daniel Mulligan, Christopher Parker, Filipe Portugal, Kevin Pouzou, Dominik Slavkovský, Lucas Valente

Performance is supported by:

Hans Zender: To recompose Schubert

In a mixture of large-scale ensemble scenes and numerous intimate solos, Christian Spuck embarks on a journey inside the human being.

Spuck’s imaginative choreography for this new Winterreise shows itself the product of a very gifted hand. What’s more, it handsomely stands at the farthest limit of what modern ballet can physically demand.

The production remains with you for a long time and requires being experienced again and again because of the multiplicity of its senses and meanings.