In celebration of the Republic Day, the Astana Ballet Theatre presented a concert “The Heritage of the Great Steppe”, which featured masterpieces of national stage dance from the Theatre’s repertoire, as well as the premiere of a new choreographic miniature “Sarzhailau”, DKnews.kz reports
The Theatre is deservedly proud of “The Heritage of the Great Steppe” program. It is a vivid and colourful program, for which both Kazakhstani and foreign choreographers created some pieces. The Honoured Figure of Kazakhstan Aigul Tati created the true gem of “The Heritage” – the miniatures, which reflect the way of life and character, thoughts and feelings, as well as aesthetic views and understanding of the beauty of the Kazakh people. Aigul Tati not only fulfilled herself in her work, showed her individuality in the productions she created, the choreographer made each dance different from the other, revealed the distinct identity of a rich national culture. Choreographic miniatures from “The Heritage of the Great Steppe” program were presented to the public in France, Russia, Italy, Austria, Monaco, Belgium, Hungary, USA, Japan, China, Korea and other countries. The program as a whole piece and individual performances were presented on the prestigious stages of Lincoln Center (New York), Palais des congrès de Paris (Paris), Grimaldi Forum (Monte Carlo), Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo), Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky Theatres (Saint Petersburg), Teatr Wielki - Opera Narodowa (Warsaw) and others.
The Astana Ballet Theatre pays special attention to modern folk stage dance. Being multi-faceted and vivid, carrying a huge emotional charge, folk dance is the ancestor of all dance styles, including classical. The original Kazakh dance culture has a centuries-old history. The nomads maintained the peculiarities of everyday life and customs, as well as basic occupations and traditions in dance images, sacredly preserved the memory of their ancestors and cherished everything that reflected their lives, passed dance images from generation to generation. “The Heritage” includes choreographic miniatures about strong, brave and dexterous men, about gentle and graceful girls, about the keepers of the hearth – strong-minded and confident steppe women. Vivid and colourful emotional dances resonate with the public both in Kazakhstan and abroad. The Theatre’s repertoire includes a considerable constellation of national dances – there are about 80 miniatures. These are Turkish and Tatar dances, Evenk and Chinese ones, Malaysian and Indian ones, Yakut and Korean ones, and many others. Almost two thirds of the list of choreographic miniatures are Kazakh dances.
“The Heritage of the Great Steppe” program represented the feast in all its splendour and diversity. The pieces with rich and meaningful choreography, which reflected the soul of the choreographer and the performers, created a special atmosphere in the auditorium. The magnificent choreographic feast became a kind of “bridge” that connected the audience with folk traditions and customs. “Nur Shashu” to the music of Evgeny Brusilovsky and Renat Salavatov became a kind of tribute to folk traditions that are still revered and respectfully observed in Kazakhstan. “Assem Konyr” to the music of Dina Nurpeisova is dedicated to the women of the Great Steppe. The choreographic miniature “Ak Kyz”, staged to Kazakh folk music arranged by Edil Khusainov, celebrates girls’ beauty and purity. Delicate and charming steppe beauties still captivate with their fascination. “Tanir Syiy – Ak Zhol” appeared on the stage as an epic tale about how the creator of all living things, Tengri, and the goddess Umai, together with the elements of nature (including fire, water, earth and air) give people life. Choreographic miniatures “Gazhaiyp Tabigat” (Seasons of the Year), “Ata Tolgauy” (Ancient Traditions), “Balbyrauyn”, “Uly Dala” (Great Steppe) and others were also performed.
The audience saw an extraordinary picture of the boundless golden steppe during the first performance of the new production of “Sarzhailau”. Honoured Figure of Kazakhstan Aigul Tati worked on the creation of “Sarzhailau” to the music of Tattimbet, the costumes of rare beauty were created by Honoured Figure of Kazakhstan Muslim Zhumagaliyev, the unique soundscape, distinguished by great artistic talent, was mastered by Renat Gaissin, impressive lighting was created by Alexey Markov, and memorable video – by Marat Sagadinov. As noted by the choreographer, according to Shoqan Valikhanov, the steppe for the Kazakh is a boundless and free space, a natural home, and the Tattimbet’s kyui contains the deep and ancient wisdom of the Great Steppe, reflects the eternally young and inconceivable beauty of its nature and boundless expanses. Steppe nature is vivid and colourful, it is a source of life-giving power. The choreographic miniature “Sarzhailau” was dedicated to the beauty of the steppe nature, which was enthusiastically welcomed by the audience.
