On 25 and 26 April 2025, the Astana Ballet Theatre is scheduled to stage two one-act ballets: “Ma Carmen” and “Salome”, DKnews.kz reports.
Both productions are creations of the Honoured Figure of Kazakhstan, choreographer Mukaram Avakhri, who is renowned for her audacious and profound interpretations of classical plots.
The name Carmen has become a symbol of indomitable passion, thirst for freedom and female independence. This is not merely the heroine of a renowned novel or opera; rather, she is an archetype that has embraced the sophistication and inconsistency inherent in female nature. She is akin to an unquenchable flame; a wind that knows no limits. Her image is characterised by a combination of strength and vulnerability, passion and pride, the desire to love and be oneself – despite condemnation, pain and tragedy.
In the ballet entitled Ma Carmen by Mukaram Avakhri, the image of Carmen is revealed through five heroines – five facets of one woman. They replace each other in each fragment, like a mosaic of moods, like a kaleidoscope of the female soul, in which impulse and vulnerability, tenderness and anger, humbleness and rebellion take on a motion form. They work together to form a unified voice, sharing a confession about inner freedom and the sadness of loneliness. Neoclassical dance moves, with a touch of Suprematism’s visual aesthetic style, create a performance where form and movement really resonate with the most delicate emotions. The performance appears to make a pronounced declaration regarding the capacity of the “feminine” – with all its diversity and profundity – to resonate within ballet, independently of the “Yang” principle, and without being constrained by the confines of a male gaze. This is a daring gesture, an artistic statement, in which dance becomes a manifesto.
The musical palette of the performance combines the works of Georges Bizet, Rodion Shchedrin and Davidson Jaconello, which collectively create a rich sound background for the choreographic narration. The stage design and costumes, created by Olga Shaishmelashvili, in conjunction with the lighting design by Denis Solntsev and the video design by Vadim Dulenko and Marat Sagadinov, serve to enhance the visual aesthetic of the production.
The second ballet, Salome, is based on a play by Oscar Wilde and is accompanied by music by the contemporary Turkish composer Fazil Say. The artistic concept and choreography were once again the responsibility of Mukaram Avakhri, while Olga Shaishmelashvili was responsible for the stage design and costumes. The libretto was developed in collaboration with Dilara Shomayeva, the lighting design was carried out by Denis Solntsev, and Aizhan Zhunusova acted as the assistant choreographer.
The production explores the nature of human desires and passions, emphasizing that the thirst for love can become a powerful force that does not recognize barriers. The choreography combines graphic plasticity with elements of orientalism, utilising a variety of performance techniques, including dancing on pointe shoes and barefoot. As Mukaram Avakhri observes, “I am concerned about the dark and the light in a person. They represent aspects of a unified entity.”
We warmly invite all ballet fans to these unmissable performances that will give you not only aesthetic pleasure, but also a reason to reflect on the eternal themes of love, freedom and the nature of the human soul. The Astana Ballet Theatre invites audiences to immerse themselves in a world of sensual dance and stage poetry.
The events will be held with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
