AWARD CEREMONY OF THE IV INTERNATIONAL BALLET AWARD DANCE OPEN
in frames of the XII DANCE OPEN International Ballet Festival
Award Ceremony of the IV International Ballet Award Dance Open, as always turned out to be an impressive and luxurious evening, filled with lots of intriguing moments and meetings. The Jury had to complete not an easy task: to choose the best from the best.
Hans van Manen gave a Grand Prix to Lucia Lacarra.
Mr. Virtuosity award was given to Joseph Gatti. The award was given by Janusz Leon Wiśniewski.
The "Ms. Virtuosity" prize was shared by Iana Salenko and Ashley Bouder. The prize was presented by the Mikhail Tatarnikov.
Mr. Expressivity award went to Herman Cornejo. The awardee — Kseniya Rappoport.
Ms. Expressivity — Olga Smirnova, the award presented by Slava Polunin.
Anastasiys Zavorotnyuk and Pyotr Chernishev awarded two couples: Elisa Carrillo Cabrera with Mikhail Kaniskin for the Best Duet and Jurgita Dronina with Fabien Voranger.
People's Choice Award was given to Daniel Ulbricht by the Prince George Alexandrovich Yuryevsky.
Artistic factory «CLAUDIA» of Claudiya Zavyalova presented Monomakh's Cap to Hans Van Manen and furs for Anna Tsygankova.
Special Prize for development of Russian ballet was presented by Ekaterina Glanova to Denis and Anastasia Matvienko.
Breathtaking pieces, outstanding choreography and actual approach to dance — here are the main traits of this festival which traditionally culminates in brilliant gala concert
From one year to another Dance Open proves its name: dance here is really open — which means that hard frames of genre are not welcome. Except for the extreme avant-garde, which is almost not a dance, is not allowed here (so far?). One can see here classical, neo classicl, modern, modern-dance pieces. Even acrobatics.
Everyone is equal in Dance Open, everyone are the best of the best. The most famous artists, affluent choreographers and ballet masters gathered in St. Petersburg for six days. To participate in master-classes, young dancers applied six months in advance.
19 and 20th of April 2013
21th of April 2013
22th of April 2013
18-22 апреля 2013
22th of April 2013
In many aspects in 2013 we kept our traditions. As usual, we gathered the most prominent dancers of the world with their crowning pieces. The master classes tradition remained the same as well: outstanding teachers of Russian school worked with students from all continents. And again there was a the most knowledgeable and demanding Jury Panel, defining the winners of the Dance Open Award under the direction of the legendary Natalia Makarova.
Nonetheless, we considered the 2013 program to be absolutely new, and almost revolutionary, as it had many things that happened for the first time in the history of the Festival:
— for the first time the Dance Open placed emphasis on contemporary choreography. It is probably a general trend, as there are more and more well performed and captivating modern productions. Therefore, new choreographies significantly substituted alltime classical pas-de-deux;
— for the first time we dedicated a Gala to the art of a choreographer and offered you to plunge into the history of Russian ballet, making a tribute to the choreographers of 3 different centuries;
— lastly, for the first time in the history the Dance Open program consisted not only of gala performances, but nights of one-act ballets. The choreographers are our today’s heroes, seeking for new forms, expressions in their works, new meanings in familiar music pieces… they joke… they suffer… they talk to the audiences in dance, conducting a serious dialogue, requiring complete emotional reaction.
We are sincerely grateful to the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Government of St. Petersburg, sponsors and patrons of the Festival.
It is not necessarily true that all of them will work with famous classical companies — but the experience and joy they get from dancing gives hope for future of dance art itself.
In 2013 classes were held from April 18 to 22 in the L. Jacobson Ballet Theatre. We were glad to see familiar faces and newcomers. Besides the intense work under the guidance of prominent coaches, students had an opportunity to see the historic and cultural sights of St. Petersburg.
Dance Open master-classes permanently arouse interest of ballet students from different parts of the world thanks to the coaches — unique masters of Russian ballet school and ballet stars. This year classes were held not only by Vaganova coaches Gennady Selutsky, Irina Badaeva and Viktor Baranov, but also by Mariinsky Theatre repetiteurs Elvira Tarasova and Igor Petrov, along with principal dancer of Mariinsky — Yulia Makhalina.
The program of classes was decorated with the annual Gala of Young Stars Dance Open, which gathered audience in the State drama theatre "Na Liteinom". It is an important event for youg participants: to perform on the big stage and to participate in the Festival along with renown world ballet stars. We congratulate all the participants — they met the challenge with grace!
As tradition demands, the final and climatic event of the Festival was the Gala-concert of the world's ballet stars Dance Open, which was held in Oktyabrskiy Big Concert Hall on April 22.
From year to year the stars Gala is becoming a really special event both for the ballet fans and for those who is just starting to admire this beautiful art. In 2012 on our stage the most in-demand dancers from all over the world were performing on our stage.
Nevertheless, the Festival has prepared pleasant surprises even for the most demanding audience. Creativity and ambitiousess approach to the program of Gala have delivered its benefits: the concert can be called a breakthrough, plenty of things will happen here for the first time at the Festival, in St. Petersburg and even in Russia.
For instance, it was the first time contemporary ballet prevails over classical at the stars Gala. Best examples of the world's contemporary choreography, carefully selected by organizers, allowed to follow main tendencies of the artistic search of dancers. Nevertheless, classical dance will be represented with magnificent and ineresable pieces.
The Gala Dance Open will present guest performances’ premieres. St. Petersburg citizens and guests of the Festival will be the first foreign viewers of the Duet from Cinderella (Sergey Prokofiev) in the production of Christopher Wheeldon. The Performance will take place in St. Petersburg after its premiere in Amsterdam. Another surprise is a fragment from Firebird by Alexey Ratmansky. The production has had a great success in New York. The fragment will be shown in Russia for the first time; moreover, it is being re-made by Alexei Ratmansky exclusively for the gala performance within the Festival.
For the first time ever in Russia, specifically for the Gala Dance Open a fragment of one-act ballet Walpurgis Night from the opera Faust by Charles Gounod will be re-made and performed by the international trio.
Dance Open will also present the Russian premiere of a duet from A Sweet Spell of Oblivion by David Dawson, performed by Jurgita Dronina (Dutch National Ballet) and Fabien Voranger (Semperoper Ballett Dresden). David Dawson is well-known in Saint-Petersburg for his ballet, Reverence, which was presented in 2005 and won the Golden Mask Award. This spring, almost ten years later, spectators of the Festival will have a unique chance to see a ballet by David Dawson again. The choreographer will also join the Jury Panel of the Festival.
For the first time the amount of ballet companies taking part in the Gala Dance Open will be twelve: American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Berlin Staatsoper Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Bavarian State Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, Mariinsky Theatre, Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, Ukrainian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. A lot of soloists who will perform at the Gala are those whom the audiences know well, as well as those who will perform for the first time in Russia.
The gorgeous Misty Copeland will take part in the Gala. She is one of the leading ballet dancers of the American Ballet Theatre and only third female African American ballet dancer in the history of world classical ballet. And these “first times” are not the only reasons why the audiences will love the Gala of International Ballet Stars. But let us save some secrets till the very Gala…
Filigree ballet art, best soloists, fascinating program, powerful energy, impressive dynamic show, true picture of the world ballet – all those features are worth going to the Gala of International Ballet Stars within 12th International Ballet Festival Dance Open.
Participants of Gala of International Ballet Stars Dance Open: Anastasia Stashkevich (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Iana Salenko (Staatsballett Berlin), Yonah Acosta (English National Ballet), Alicia Amatriain (Stuttgart Ballet), Jason Reilly (Stuttgart Ballet), Anna Tsygankova (Dutch National Ballet), Matthew Golding (Dutch National Ballet), Ashley Bouder (New York City Ballet), Joseph Gatti (Boston Ballet), Jurgita Dronina (Dutch National Ballet), Fabien Voranger (Semperoper Ballett Dresden), Daniel Ulbricht (New York City Ballet), Herman Cornejo (American Ballet Theater), Evgenia Obraztsova (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Semyon Chudin (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Elena Algado (Entredos Ballet Espanol), Miguel Angel Corbacho (Entredos Ballet Espanol), Olga Smirnova (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Elisa Carrillo Cabrera (Staatsballett Berlin), Mikhail Kaniskin (Staatsballett Berlin), Lucia Lacarra (Bavarian State Ballet), Marlon Dino (Bavarian State Ballet), Kristina Kretova (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Artem Ovcharenko (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Anna Tikhomirova (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Entredоs BALLET ESPAÑOL, Ballet dancers of National Opera of Ukraine.
We will be celebrating the 400th anniversary since the Romanov dynasty started its reign in Russia. This anniversary is an important jubilee for the history of Russia and abroad: The Romanovs have given birth and developed a great, refined, difficult and wonderful art — Russian ballet.
Today, it would be hard to find a company in the world where there are no Russian ballet dancers or choreographers. Since the 18th century, Russian ballet tradition has remained the most prestigious in the world. Russian teachers are always the most sought-after, meanwhile Russian dancers are welcomed to leading international theaters.
Although, ballet is a performing art, therefore it is fragile, and belongs only to its contemporaries. Following generations receive dance masterpieces only in a format of memoires, archives, documents, and recordings, and the very own performance is all gone with the curtain drop.
Isn’t it unfair?
In our opinion, it is truly unfair! Therefore, the Dance Open festival has ventured to make this brave and uneasy action: unfold in front of its spectators a large scale live picture of the history of Russian ballet.
Masterpieces of Perrot, Petipa, Saint-Leon, Fokine, Lifar, Gorsky, Lavrovsky, Yakobson, Grigorovich, and Eifman will have a new life performed by the brightest stars of world ballet. Crowning pieces of Anna Pavlova, Mathilde Kschessinskaya, Vaslav Nijinsky, Nikolai Legat, Galina Ulanova, Tatiana Vecheslova, Konstantin Sergeev, and Vakhtang Chabukiani will be performed in a different interpretation by the stars of today.
Another zest of the project is a unique video content that will include archive materials, and entertaining narration by the presenter about every outstanding choreographer.
We are absolutely sure that the gala will be interesting not only to well-established ballet devotees, but also to young spectators to whom this first rendezvous with ballet may turn out to be the love of their lives.
"The History of Russian Ballet” Gala is a fascinating time journey that will bring you joy of knowledge and unforgettable impressions of the infinite mastery of international ballet stars.
Participants of the Gala «History of Russian Ballet»: Anastasia Kolegova (Mariinsky Theater), Yekaterina Osmolkina (Mariinsky Theater), Elena Yevseyeva (Mariinsky Theater), Anna Tikhomirova (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Iana Salenko (Staatsballett Berlin), Dinu Tamazlacaru (Staatsballett Berlin), Ulyana Lopatkina (Mariinsky Theater), Kristina Kretova (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Leonid Sarafanov (Mikhailovsky Theater), (New York City Ballet), Amar Ramasar (New York City Ballet), Anastasia Meskova (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Anastasia Stashkevich (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Mikhail Lobukhin (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Denis Savin (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Dmitry Dorokhov (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Evgenia Obraztsova (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Denis Medvedev (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Maxim Zyuzin (Mariinsky Theater), Igor Kolb (Mariinsky Theater), Artem Ovcharenko (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Yuri Smekalov (Mariinsky Theater), Semyon Chudin (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Mikhail Kochan (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Denis Matvienko (National Opera of Ukraine), Herman Cornejo (American Ballet Theater), Luciana Paris (American Ballet Theater), Marat Shemiunov (Mikhaylovsky Theatre), Ballet dancers of National Opera of Ukraine, Students of the Academy of Russian Ballet.
