The premieres of concert numbers and exciting debuts of talented performers will be presented as part of the new author’s program of the world ballet star Altynai Asylmuratova. The gala Astana Opera Young Ballet will be presented to the audience this weekend, on May 14 and 15, Delovoy Kazakhstan reports.
The extensive program includes 15 numbers, each being a significant event, as all of them will have the dancers’ debut performances. It is important to emphasize that there will be premieres of a number of miniatures that will not leave anyone in the audience indifferent.
The artistic director of the ballet company, Altynai Asylmuratova, said that tremendous work has been done, which, undoubtedly, stimulates the company. Traditionally, experienced soloists, masters of the stage, help young performers to get into their new roles. Thus, the Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Madina Basbayeva will perform with a young promising dancer Rustam Chakhalov. The Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Yerkin Rakhmatullayev and international competitions laureate Arman Urazov will also demonstrate their skills to the audience and to their young colleagues, whose dreams are about to come true, and on this day they will dance those numbers that they used to only admire from the backstage.
A significant event of this evening will be the premiere of the national number Qily Zaman staged by the famous choreographer Patrick de Bana to the music of the ethno-folklore ensemble Turan. The miniature will be performed by the ballet soloist Sultanbek Gumar, whose body plastique amazes and delights many ballet critics.
“This number will be performed at our opera house for the first time. It was created not too long ago and the audience of Almaty already had an opportunity to watch it, but it will be a debut performance in the capital. As the name implies, this dance conveys difficult periods in the history of our people. This miniature is a reminder to people about the consequences of the formation of the Kazakh people on the path to independence. We worked a lot on it with the famous choreographer Patrick de Bana. It should be noted that the musical composition of the ethno-folklore ensemble Turan also has the name Qily Zaman and is rooted in our history,” Sultanbek Gumar said.
Another interesting premiere awaits the audience this evening – the number An Old Photograph in Dmitry Bryantsev’s choreography. According to the ballet master’s idea, it represented an old photograph coming to life, and the photo was from the life of heroes – ordinary people. For example, in front of the factory entrance, the Worker danced in an upbeat fashion with his girlfriend. This number features the fourth and sixth movements from Dmitri Shostakovich’s Ballet Suite No. 2.
“I think that this is a very interesting, unusual number, both from the position of the viewer and from the position of the performer. The plot tells us about the most ordinary village boy and girl. As fashionable as it is right now to chase trends, like doing viral dances from TikTok, the girl in this number is also eager to dance the tango, which was very popular at the time. The guy does not understand what is happening, and why he needs to dance it. In his opinion, if you dance, then, of course, it should be a Russian dance, with claps, sit-ups and bright expression. At first, he reluctantly tries to cope with the girl’s request, but his inner principles and preferences take over, and he starts dancing, at the same time trying to teach the girl to dance his favorite genre,” said Alexander Kornilov, who will perform this number together with his partner Nurai Nursafina.
“Technically, the choreography is not so much complicated as it tests the dancer for concentration and endurance, although there are undoubtedly complex elements in this number. It lasts almost 5 minutes, and during this time, dancing continuously, performing various lifts, high jumps and air tours, the most important thing is not to relax until you are backstage, after bowing to the audience after the dance. One must not forget about the acting component, which plays a very important role in this number. Here you need to show the exact facial expressions and specific gestures that reveal the plot idea and the personalities of the characters,” the dancer added.
The performers expressed great gratitude the artistic director of the ballet company, People’s Artist of Russia Altynai Asylmuratova and teacher-repetiteur, Honoured Artist of Russia Konstantin Zaklinsky, who staged this number.
“We are incredibly lucky to have the honour to work with such excellent teachers-repetiteurs as Altynai Asylmuratova and Konstantin Zaklinsky. These are real professionals in the ballet art with a worldwide reputation. They know exactly where to give helpful tips to the dancer, what to work on, how it would be more correct to perform this or that movement, gesture, even a look, and they willingly share this with the dancers at rehearsals. After each of them, I leave the studio with the feeling that the rehearsal was not in vain, and today I received something new and very useful for myself, which will certainly help me in the studio and onstage tomorrow. We rehearsed this number with enthusiasm, without even noticing how the time came for its premiere, it is so interesting and original. It brings unforgettable emotions and impressions,” Alexander Kornilov concluded.
The exciting program also includes the Venetian Carnival pas de deux from Cesare Pugni’s ballet Satanella in Marius Petipa’s choreography. This excerpt will be performed by Shugyla Adepkhan and Dias Kurmangazy. In addition, the duet from Dmitry Bryantsev’s ballet Phantom Ball to Frédéric Chopin’s music will also delight the audience. It will be presented by Yerkezhan Zhunussova and Zhanibek Akhmediyev. Anastasia Zaklinskaya and the Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Yerkin Rakhmatullayev will perform a bright duet from Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet in Leonid Lavrovsky’s choreography and many other diverse numbers will also be featured.
