Russia ballet, free of charge at Attiko Alsos
An important, though not locally well-known ballet company, the Donetsk State Academic Russian Opera and Ballet Theater, is bringing young ballet stars to Athens. The company will perform today and tomorrow at the Attiko Theater, situated in the Attiko Alsos park in Galatsi, as part of a series of summer events organized by the City of Athens Cultural Organization. The program includes extracts from Tchaikovsky’s «Romeo and Juliet» and «Swan Lake,» and ends with Gounod’s «Walpurgis Night.» Headed by Vadim Pisarev, who is the artistic director, the Donetsk State Academic Russian Opera and Ballet Theater combines ballet tradition with modern dance and favors the mixture of acclaimed dancers with new talents. Principal dancers who will perform in Athens include Yuliya Polgorodnik, who alternates as Odette-Odile, Miroslav Grabovsky as Prince Siegfried and Maxim Valchik as Romeo. The theater was first founded in 1932 in the city of Lugansk and was then transferred to Stalino (the former name of Donetsk) in 1941. In 1995, the theater began hosting the World Ballet Stars International Ballet Festival with participants from all over the world, including the USA, Canada, Germany, Australia and elsewhere. Admission to the performances tonight and tomorrow are free of charge. To facilitate access, a bus with the sign «Attiko Theater» will set off around 8.30 p.m. from Kaningos Square, returning around 11.30 p.m.
