Written by user1 on 18 June 2018. Posted in XVII Season

Dance Open: Focus on the Ballet

DANCE OPEN: FOCUS ON BALLET

Anticafe «Ziferburg»

April 9, 10 and 122018

The ballet has always been drawing up a versatile union of art and amusement, fashion and ideology, history and politics. Laconic or exuberant, abstract or narrative, surrealistic or close to live, it has never lost its attractiveness. Forever alive, modern and gorgeous — that what the ballet is. In XVII season Dance Open in cooperation with the Lev Lurie Culture & History Club announces a series of lectures by leading ballet critics of Russia. To explore, to discuss, to understand — we hope to open a door to another level of communication of the audience with the ballet world. The speakers will discover the most acute topics, illustrated by rare photos and videos, supplemented with practices and fresh examples from the ballet life. The listeners of the Dance Open Lecturing Club finally caught the reasons which had turned the «Mathilde» movie by Alexei Uchitel and the «Nureev» ballet at Bolshoi the main scandals of the last years. They will also get behind the curtain of the complicated relationship of the renowned Moscow and St. Petersburg. The secrets and principles of Agrippina Vaganova’s method will be discussed as well as the phenomenon of the Vaganova’s «granddaughters» and pseudo «vaganovites».

April 9, 19:00 Topic: «Focus on ballet: how and why „Mathilde“ and „Nureev“ became the main culture scandals of the last years»Speaker: Leila Guchmazova April 11, 19:00 Topic: «From St. Petersburg to Moscow: relationships between main Russian companies. Differences and perspectives»Speaker: Leila Guchmazova April 12, 19:00 Topic: «The Vaganova’s method: myth and reality»Speaker: Tatyana Kuznetsova

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Written by user1 on 18 June 2018. Posted in XVII Season

Invocaciones Flamencas

Jose Antonio

INVOCACIONES FLAMENCAS

World premiere

Alexandrinsky Theatre6+

April 8, 2018 19:00

Passion, blood, pain and a blinding flash of violent love — that’s flamenco. The sharp staccato of heels, a rose in white teeth, shawls flying like wings and the beat of a fiery heart — that's flamenco. Strong whirling arms, imposingly straight spines, the precision of a blade and the fluidity of a snake — that's flamenco! They say flamenco is the symbol of Spain, but it is so much more: it is the spirit, the very soul of Andalusia — its passion, its energy, its overwhelming striving for freedom. . It reaches for the heavens like the fires of inquisition, like the spires of gothic cathedrals, but at the same time nothing is more terrestrial than this dance of earthy passion. Rhythm, voice, body, and guitar. As natural as a gasp. This dance is unique each time. Like the silhouette of waves on a stormy sea. «Dance is not only steps. Dance is what happens in between. It’s like bullfighting,» said Antonio Gades. Garcia Lorca called the strange, insane and magical power of the ancient duende «bitter, passionate and lonely.» This is a black imp of inspiration, rising from the depths of the blood, breaking free through the singer’s voice and through the dancer’s body, which becomes a torch and a blade. It burns and cleanses. A dance as purifying as death. A tornado as immemorial as Creation. That’s flamenco! In its XVII th season Dance Open festival presents the vibrant production Invocacciones by great flamenco artists — Jose Antonio Ruiz and his company.

Young stars gala 2018

YOUNG STARS GALA

Hermitage Theater6+

April 16, 2018 19:00

Dance Open Master classes have extraordinary reputation among the young dancers from all over the word. Young candidates don’t scare long distance flights, language difficulties and famous teachers’ magnitude on their way to legendary rehearsal rooms of St. Petersburg. These classrooms blessed by a special atmosphere still keep the vibes of energy and faith of those who were dancing here for decades and mastered their skills to perfection. The air itself seems exceptional here — it is like a magnetic substance essential for the development of new talents. Each year, the Festival enchants boys and girls with a wonderful opportunity to explore the secrets of the legendary Russian ballet school and to discover new nuancesof its refined style. This is a chance not only to learn from the bestteachers, but also to uncover one’s own talents, to gain in selfconfidence, and to delight in one’s progress. This gives each and every one of them a chance to get a little closer to their dreams. «Their dreams of international stardom» a bystander might think. But no, that’s not it. These young swans, only cygnets still, torture their feet not in search of reverberating fame. Just as a writer cannot put down his pen, or a musician stop the music constantly sounding in his head, so these little boys and girls, fascinated by the artistry and the magic of the dance, cannot breathe without en dedans and jetés. Dance Open Young Stars Gala presents to the St. Petersburg public young dancers from all around the world. Each year, new names are introduced. Each year, there is the opportunity to look down the ages. The stage of the Hermitage Theatre, impregnated with centuries of history, is opened to the future again. The new season of ballet discoveries will take place on April 16.