Kazakh capital to host premiere of ballet by J.Kylian

The ballet ‘Six Dances’ by Jiri Kylian will premiere in the capital of Kazakhstan. This famous work is a masterpiece of modern classics. Despite the fact that the world premiere of the ballet took place 37 years ago, it will be presented in Kazakhstan for the first time. Negotiations started four years ago. The Astana Opera artists were preparing for the premiere under the guidance of the maestro's assistants, namely the Czech choreographers Shirley Esseboom and Just Bigelar.

“I was happy to work with the Astana Opera ballet dancers in the rehearsal hall. They are brilliant, amazing artists with the highest level of technical training. They are all great professionals and do a really great job,” said Shirley Esseboom, an assistant to Jiri Kylian.

The ballet lasts no more than 15 minutes, but the complexity of its performance makes the artists show tremendous physical and emotional endurance. The audience will see eight pairs of dancers on stage, who will try to convey a comic story to them.

“It is a great happiness for the artists, and for me too. Because I have long dreamed that Jiri Kylian's ballets would be staged in our theater for Kazakh spectators. Why did we choose this particular ballet? Because it is a masterpiece that is surprisingly easy to perceive, humorous, with comic mimicry, extremely musical and very short,” said Altynai Assylmuratova, Artistic Director of Astana Opera Ballet Company.

“This is an incredible piece. The audience will definitely laugh a lot, and after that they will be able to take some thought and draw their own conclusions,” said Bakhtiyar Adamzhan, a leading soloist of Astana Opera. The ‘Six Dances’ ballet will be presented as part of the Gala Ballet program.

 

 

Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova

Editing by Saule Mukhamejanova