On 25th and 26th April 2025, the Astana Ballet Theatre invited members of the public to watch performances of two remarkable one-act ballets: “Ma Carmen” and “Salome”. The productions of the Honoured Figure of Kazakhstan, choreographer Mukaram Avakhri, have become a significant event in the cultural life of the capital, once again demonstrating deep creative energy and a desire to rethink classical subjects, DKnews.kz reports.
The evening’s highlight was undoubtedly the ballet “Ma Carmen”, a bold and unusual reinterpretation of the iconic Carmen character, which has come to symbolise passion, freedom and independence. Mukaram Avakhri deviates from the customary dramatic approach, offering the audience a unique concept: in the play, the character of Carmen is personified by five heroines concurrently, with each of them unveiling a distinct aspect of a multifaceted, intricate female character.
The dancers alternate in each fragment, creating a dynamic interplay of emotions and states – tenderness and rebellion, passion and humility, vulnerability and defiance. The production explores the theme of female essence in its full diversity through the plastic language of neoclassical choreography and the expressive aesthetics of suprematism. It does so by rejecting the traditional “male gaze” and external interpretation.
In Ma Carmen, the act of choreography serves not only as a medium for storytelling, but also as an autonomous artistic assertion concerning inner freedom and the tragedy of loneliness. Dance, in this context, functions as a confession, a manifesto, a reminder that striving to be yourself is invariably accompanied by challenges, distress, and the necessity to advocate for the right to one’s own voice.
The performance’s musical program comprises works by Georges Bizet, Rodion Shchedrin and Davidson Jaconello, creating a multi-layered sound space characterised by drama and subtle shades of emotion.
The stage design and costumes created by Olga Shaishmelashvili accurately reflect the inner dynamics of the performance, complementing the plasticity of the dance with vivid visual images. Denis Solntsev’s lighting design and video installations by Vadim Dulenko and Marat Sagadinov enhance the overall impression, metamorphosing the scene into a living organism in which all elements are subservient to a singular artistic concept.
The second ballet of the evening, Salome, also comes from the choreographic pen of Mukaram Avakhri and is based on Oscar Wilde’s famous play. This production focuses on the exploration of the nature of human desires, their destructive power and the search for inner balance. The performance’s philosophical focus was complemented by the music of the contemporary Turkish composer Fazil Say, the stage design by Olga Shaishmelashvili and the lighting design by Denis Solntsev, immersing the spectator in the world of passions and fateful choices.
