XIII International Ballet Festival Dance Open

The main emphasis of the XIII season of the International Dance Festival DANCE OPEN, all the performances and concerts of which will be held on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater, is a contemporary author’s choreography.

Magifique. Photo by Olivier Houeix

The poster includes a record number of premieres. The festival opens with a program specially formulated for DANCE OPEN by the contemporary contemporary choreographer Dwight Roden and the leading American choreographer Jay Man Joo. Complexions Contemporary Ballet (USA) will present three compositions, two of which are European premieres: Recur (“Return”, 2013), a dance-reflection on the inner world of man, and Innervisions (“Innervisions”, 2013), contemporary and similar in spirit Many staging the music of the legendary Stevie Wonder, April 23 and 24.

The expected St. Petersburg premiere of Magifique ("Magnificence") to the music of P. Tchaikovsky is the work of the famous choreographer Thierry Malanden performed by the French neoclassical troupe Malandain Ballet Biarritz. The fairy-tale perception of the world through the eyes of a child, reflected both in essence and in the title, where the mixture of the words magique (“magic”) and magnifique (“magnificent”) opens up new facets of meaning to the viewer. Judges of the ballet will be able to see the production on April 26th.

Perhaps one of the most interesting events of the festival week will be a unique creative evening “Hans van Manen. Lord of the movement. " In his own program, also created specifically for DANCE OPEN, the master included the best works of different years. Some of them are known in our country, however, others, such as, for example, the one-act ballet Corps ("Corps de ballet") in Russia will be seen for the first time. A real discovery and world premiere will be a one-act ballet accompanied by a harp - this is a new creation by an outstanding Dutch choreographer, which today does not even have a name and will be presented only in Amsterdam until Petersburg.

St. Petersburg audience will be able to enjoy the work of Hans van Manen performed by one of the most respected and interesting troupes in the world - Dutch National Ballet (Het Nationale Ballet, National Ballet of the Netherlands) on April 27.

On April 28, the DANCE OPEN International Ballet Festival will traditionally close the Gala of world ballet stars at the Alexandrinsky Theater. The names of the soloists speak for themselves: Jiri Bubenichek, Jon Vallejo, Sarah Michel Muravski (Zemperopera, Dresden); James Stout, Egon de Jong (National Ballet of the Netherlands); Melissa Hamilton, Eric Underwood (Royal Ballet Covent Garden); Sylvia Adzoni, Alexander Ryabko, Tiago Bordin, Otto Bubenichek (Hamburg Ballet); Misty Copland (American Ballet Theater) and others. The final concert will be attended by Russian stars - Victoria Tereshkina (Mariinsky Theater), Kristina Kretova and Semyon Chudin (Bolshoi Theater).

The educational program is an integral part of DANCE OPEN, a special mission of the Festival, annually giving the opportunity to more than 100 students of choreographic schools from around the world to take part in master classes by the best teachers of the Russian Ballet Academy named after AND I. Vaganova and world stars. DANCE OPEN workshops will be held from April 23 to 28.

Finally, the St. Petersburg International Ballet Award DANCE OPEN, which this year marks its first anniversary - the fifth anniversary, will complete the extensive program of the Festival. Despite the relative youth of the professional Prize, it has already received expert recognition as authoritative and prestigious. Indeed, among the nominees there are only stars of the first magnitude, and the jury includes masters whose names have already become a legend.

The award ceremony will take place on April 28 in the Marble Hall of the Russian Ethnographic Museum.