On November 30 at the Almaty Theatre in Almaty and on December 3 at the State Opera and Ballet Theatre “Astana Opera” the III Freedom Festival of Art will take place, which will once again delight Kazakhstani spectators with unique productions created by the world’s top choreographers with the participation of ballet stars. Traditionally, not only soloists of the largest European theatres, but also representatives of the Kazakhstani ballet art will unite under the auspices of contemporary art.
The first part of the festival will feature the world premiere of the ballet production “Class Concert”, created under the direction of choreographer Valentino Zucchetti. He is known not only as a representative of The Royal Ballet and Opera and an eminent choreographer, but also as a brilliant soloist of The Royal Ballet (Great Britain).
Valentino Zucchetti is best known for his innovative view of classical choreography, in which he combines traditional techniques with modern elements, making his productions popular on world stages. The production of “Class Concert” will be performed with the participation of leading soloists of the largest European theatres, as well as the leading soloists of the Kazakhstani theatre “Astana Opera” – Bakhtiyar Adamzhan and Anastasia Zaklanskaya. After the premiere, the production will be included in the permanent repertoire of the Astana Opera Theatre as a gift from the organizers of the festival.
The second part of the Freedom Festival of Art will feature the work of the famous company from France – L-E-V Dance Company – under the direction of the outstanding choreographer Sharon Eyal, whose works are known for their emotional depth and daring experiments with movement and form. It is said about her productions in the world press: “Eyal discards choreographic conventions and returns to the source of dance: movement and energy. From the beginning to the end, she leaves no room for us to breath...”. It is worth noting that the dancing group will perform in Kazakhstan for the first time, and this will certainly delight the most discerning connoisseurs of ballet art. The production by choreographer Sharon Eyal “Into The Hairy” will be presented at the festival as part of a world tour and promises to become one of the key events of the program.
In addition to renowned choreographers, Freedom Festival hosts prominent ballet stars: Denis Cherevychko (Vienna), Myriam Ould-Braham (Paris Opera), Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano (Royal Opera House, Great Britain), Alejandro Virelles (international star) and Maria Baranova (Bayerisches Staatsballet)..
The Freedom Festival of Art is really becoming a tradition for the country’s art space, each time introducing the audience not only to the modern works of European ballet masters, but also offering to expand their understanding of contemporary art in general: performances, installations, and exhibitions with the participation of Kazakhstani artists take place every year as part of the festival. It should be mentioned that the first two festivals gathered together in Kazakhstan more than 20 world ballet stars from the largest theatres in the world, and an award was also held within the framework of the II Festival, where outstanding figures of the Kazakhstani ballet art got money prizes, and a unique production was created for the Abai Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre.This year, the organizers are ready to astonish again: a VR installation from New Media artist Ardak Mukanova will be waiting for the guests of the festival in the foyer.
