Written by user1 on 21 June 2018. Posted in XIII Season

XIII season

XIII Dance OpenInternational Ballet Festival

April 24 - 28, 2014

23, 24th of April 2014

26th of April 2014

27th of April 2014

28th of April 2014

24-28th of April 2014

In 2014 our festival celebrated its 13th edition, but we have decided that this was not the reason for superstitious fears, but a motivation to arrange things differently, such as new ways of shaping the program, searching partners, choosing venues, creating visual design. But we left invariable fundamental pillars of the Dance Open — week series of master-classes and Award Ceremony, as well as credo of the Festival: straight-out selection of the best in the world of ballet. So, what was new? - The key partner of that season was Alexandrinsky theatre. All events of the main program took place at its legendary stage. We are sincerely grateful to the theater for its eagerness to cooperate. - The main accent of the XIII season was a contemporary author's choreography. We were used to make tributes to outstanding ballet personalities of the past, but now we decided to attract your attention to those masters of ballet who assign the world trends of this art nowadays. - Emphasis on author’s choreography. We tried to draw attention to work of choreographers, whose work defines world’s trends in ballet. Our choice was: Dwight Rhoden, Thierry Malandin and Hans van Manen. - Full-scale choreographic performances. In 2013 we have tried for the first time to enrich the festival program with one-act ballets. The full choreographic production, even of a short length allows a reflective spectator appreciate the beauty of dance conception in all its depth. And we proved this once again with the performances of these three outstanding companies of nowadays: Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Malandain Ballet Biarritz and Dutch National Ballet. - In its 13th season Dance Open festival presented a record number of premieres: from St. Petersburg, other Russian cities and even Europe. A special gift of the great Hans van Manen was his new choreographic miniature with harp live music that was premiered in Amsterdam just before coming to St. Petersburg. - Reconstruction of a masterpiece. One of the secrets of eternal youth of choreographic art, incredible as it may seem, is continuance of traditions, ability to find inspiration in masterpieces of the past. Our own gift to St. Petersburg was a revival of a gorgeous Grand Pas Electrique from an unfairly forgotten masterpiece by Marius Petipa — The Bluebeard. The world premiere of this piece was held at the final gala of the Festival. - Undoubtedly, the most sought after event of the Dance Open has been a Gala of the Ballet Stars. The performance weaved from masterpieces, where each choreography, each gesture, is a citation that evokes an endless chain of emotions and associations.

Gala DANCE OPEN 2014

World Ballet Stars

DANCE OPEN GALA

Alexandrinsky Theatre

April 28, 2014 19:00

Gala Dance Open, traditionally closing the program of the Festival, will for the first time be held on the famous imperial stage — at the Alexandrinsky Theatre. As always, all the participants of the Gala are International Ballet Stars, being on the peak of their career. However, this time Dance Open Festival is going to present a nuber of new names, included in the world's ballet top lists. Misty Copeland, Melissa Hamilton, Igone de Jongh, Sara Michelle Murawski are among them. Furthermore, Gala is included in the Russia and Great Britain cross-year calendar. Essential part of the evening is not only Royal Ballet's and Covent Garden's soloists performances but also works of British choreographers, in particular — Wayne McGregor and David Dawson. Both of them are not only representing British culture but also will present the idea of Gala, being the most popular figures of the "radical choreography". Classics of the XX centurywill be represented in works of John Neumeier, Kenneth MacMillan and Kasyan Goleizovsky. Jose Martinez succeeded in finding his own recognizable intonation in reframing of academicism. Dance Open Festival continues an established tradition of choreographic work reconstruction. The Bluebeard ballet, staged by Marius Petipa in 1896 by music of Pyotr Schenk haven't been performed in post revolutionary Russia. Gala audience will see the bright and goreous Grand Pas Electrique from this ballet, performed by soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre. At the moment the scrupulous work on reconstruction of the choreographic text and recreation of the costumes based on scetches of Ivan Vsevolozhsky — gifted artist and one of the directors of the Imperial Theatre — is going. Therefore, despite the general contemporary focus of the XIII season, Dance Open Festival does not retract from promoting the great history of Russian ballet. Russian Ballet Stars will also participate in Gala: on the one hand it's Viktoria Tereshkina, Kristina Kretova and Semyon Chudin, working in Russia, and on the other hand it's Natalia Osipova, at the moment dancing abroad, but still being a Russian ballerina. As always, all the participants of the Gala are nominated for Dance Open Award. Secret vote of the international jury will define the award-winners in six categories. However, every audience member will have an opportunity to participate in choosing the winner in People's Choice Award by dropping their tickets into special boxes after the concert ends or by voting in groups facebook.com/DanceOpen and vk.com/dance_open. People's Choice Award is always the most intriguing nomination.

There are no "ordinary" names or "random" choreographies in the program of the Festival.

Dance Open is a unique ballet forum. The Gala gives an opportunuty to estimate the level of leading dancers of the world.

The Gala may be surely called an encuclopedia of ballet, as it presents an undoubted and most actual "must see", both in featuring stars, and in combining choreography pieces of the programme.