The Astana Ballet Theatre has announced the signing of an important memorandum of creative cooperation with the Berlin Ballet Company. This opens up opportunities for international exchange and collaboration, as well as integrating Kazakhstani ballet into the global professional community, DKNews.kz reports.
This agreement was a logical next step in the development of cooperation between the theatres, which had already begun within the framework of FREEDOM FESTIVAL IV. The Symphony Orchestra of the Astana Ballet Theatre participated in the festival programme, thereby emphasising the theatre’s openness to international collaborations and the expansion of creative horizons.
As part of the festival, which took place on 21 and 23 November, the audience of the Astana Ballet Theatre was presented with the ballet Paquita, featuring the American Ballet Theatre’s prima ballerina, Chloe Misseldine, and the principal dancer of Staatsballett Berlin, Martin ten Kortenaar. In the second section, the CHOREO X program from the Berlin Ballet Company was presented for the first time in Kazakhstan. This programme comprised a selection of innovative productions by renowned choreographers Marco Goecke, Nacho Duato, Angelin Preljocaj, Arshak Ghalumyan and others.
The participation of the Astana Ballet Theatre Symphony Orchestra in the festival program represented a seminal step in the implementation of future projects of the two companies, providing a practical example of cooperation that will be strengthened thanks to the signed memorandum.
The festival also featured an art programme, which included a video installation by the artist Aziza Shaden, thereby representing Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on the international art scene. The work, which had previously been exhibited at the Bukhara Biennale, was first presented in the capital, specifically within the Astana Ballet. The festival is organized by Freedom Holding Corp., an international investment holding company.
The signing of the memorandum with the Berlin Ballet Company is indicative of the Astana Ballet’s commitment to strengthening international partnerships, developing joint projects, sharing experiences and maintaining dialogue between global ballet schools. The theatre continues to consolidate its position as a global creative platform, generating opportunities for the professional development of performers and the emergence of new international initiatives.
