Russian ballet highlights coming up at the Herod Atticus Theater
The history of Russian ballet will unfold at the Herod Atticus Theater on October 12, as 12 Russian principal dancers will take the stage. At the «Russian Ballet Super Stars Gala,» the dancers, who come from the Bolshoi, the Stanislavsky and the Kremlin ballets, will perform highlights of mainly classic choreographies, joined by a 10-member corps de ballet of the Bolshoi Ballet. Among other works, the ballet dancers will perform extracts from Tchaikovsky’s «Swan Lake,» choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, Minkus’s «Don Quixote,» choreographed by Alexander Gorsky, Sergei Prokofiev’s «Romeo and Juliet,» choreographed by Leonid Lavrovsky, Tchaikovsky’s «Queen of Spades,» choreographed by Roland Petit, and more. The program includes «Crane,» a solo from the ballet «Dreams of Japan,» choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky, which is based on Japanese Kabuki theater and which the Bolshoi first presented in 1998, and also «Phantom Ball,» with music by Chopin, which consists of duets and was choreographed by Dmitri Bryantsev. Participating dancers (most of whom have danced in Greece before) include prima ballerina of the Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet Tatiana Chernobrovkina, whose awards include the «People’s Artist of Russia» distinction, and award-winning Bolshoi member Mark Peretokin, who has worked with different ballet companies both in Russia and abroad. Both were recently in Greece to promote the upcoming performance. At Thursday’s press conference, Russian television producer Svyatoslav Belza explained that this elite 12-member «team» was formed in July, on the initiative of Peretokin. He added that the group has already given three shows at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles and has also performed in Japan, Turkey, Estonia and Spain. «The situation is a bit complex in Moscow at the moment,» said Peretokin, «because some of the main theaters have closed down for renovation. That is how we decided to go on tour.» Peretokin has performed twice at the Herod Atticus Theater in the past with the Bolshoi Ballet, in «Swan Lake» and «Giselle.» After the Athens show, the production will travel to France, where the program will remain essentially the same apart from a few minor changes. Christos Tsiliyannis, managing director of the ELVA company which is organizing the performance in Greece, said they hope to turn the event into an annual institution. «Hopefully, we will be able to admire the achievements of Russian ballet every year, either at the Herod Atticus Theater or at the Athens Concert Hall.» Tickets for the performance are already available and can be purchased at the Hellenic Festival (39 Panepistimiou, tel 210.928.2900), at Metropolis and Virgin music stores, at the ELVA company (tel 210.672.8079, 672.8080) and at www.ticketservices.gr.
