ASTANA BALLET THEATRE

Biography

The “Astana Ballet” Theatre” LLP was founded in 2012 (Astana). Artistic director - Assel Issabayeva. Honored figures of the Republic of Kazakhstan A. Alisheva and A. Tati were at the origins of the theatre. The first composition of the theatre company included the best graduates of the A. V. Seleznev ACS. The first concert program "Oriental Rhapsody" was composed of choreographic works by such choreographers as Z. Raibayev, N. Kalinina, A. Nurmakhamatuly, G. Tutkibayeva, A. Tati, M. Avakhri, A. Chetin, P.-G. Emerson, A. Damascus and others. The presentation of the team took place on July 1, 2013 at the Palace of Peace and Accord (Astana).

The priority task of the theatre is the creation of new national ballets, choreographic works of various content, which, later, became the examples of performing culture, formed a unique creative face and characterize the artistic style of the company. The repertoire of the theatre includes performances of various trends of ballet art from classical to modern.

The “Astana Ballet” Theatre is one of the leading choreographic companies in Kazakhstan, which synthesizes classical traditions, and the latest trends in modern and national choreography. The unique multi-genre repertoire is being constantly replenished with masterpieces of the world and national classics, original choreographic productions. The repertoire of the theater includes masterpieces of such giants of the world ballet as G. Balanchine "Serenade", "Concerto Barocco", "Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra"; W. Forsythe "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated", J. Kyllian "Fallen Angels", Y. Grigorovich "The Legend of Love", R. Rebeck "A Journey of a memory", N. Fonte "Love's Lost Idols", ballet "The Nutcracker" by P. Tchaikovsky, "Giselle" by A. Adam, etc.

The theatre's repertoire is rich in original one-act and multi-act performances by Kazakhstani and foreign choreographers. They include "GAIA", "A Fuego Lento", "Love Fear Loss", "Touch of Illusion" (choreography by R. Amarante, Brazil), "Walpurgis Night", "The Snow Queen" (choreography by G. Kovtun, Ukraine), "Salomé", "Carmen" (choreography by M. Avakhri, Kazakhstan), etc.

National ballets occupy a special place in the repertoire of the "Astana Ballet". A deep understanding of folk traditions, glorification of beauty, mental culture and the history of the ethnic group are presented in such ballets as “Alem” (choreographer N. Dmitrievsky), “Zhusan” (choreographer M. Avakhri), “Zheltorangy turaly anyz” (choreographer A. Sadykova), “Kozy Korpesh - Bayan Sulu" (choreographer G. Kovtun), "Zheti Kazyna" (choreographer U. Siyazbek). The hallmark of the theater is the concert program “The Heritage of the Great Steppe”, where the choreographic works are presented by both domestic and foreign choreographers (D. Abirov, Z. Raibayev, A. Tati, M. Avakhri, G. Kovtun, A. Tsoi, A. Sadykova, A. Shamshiyev). Choreographers-producers create new works based on the old samples of dance folklore, including “Nur shashu”, “Balbyrauyn”, “Arular”, “Kyz kaiyn”, “Ata tolgau”, “Kerbez sulu”, “Zheltorangy”, “Syi -siyapat”, “Seriler saltanaty”, “Asem konyr”, “Uly dala”, etc.

The “Astana Ballet” Theatre conducts an active tour and concert activity in the Republic and abroad. The artists performed in France, Russia, Italy, Austria, Monaco, Belgium, Hungary, USA, Japan, China, Korea and other countries. The performances of the company took place on the world's prestigious stages: the Mariinsky, Mikhailovsky Theaters (St. Petersburg), Royal Opera House (London), Grimaldi Forum (Monte Carlo), Lincoln Center (New York), Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo), Palais des congrès de Paris, Salle Pleyel (Paris), Center for Fine Arts Bozar (Brussels), Teatr Wielki - Opera Narodowa (Warsaw) etc. Thanks to the bright and memorable performances, deep and impressive productions in the national style, the “Astana Ballet” quite quickly entered the cohort of the leading theaters of Kazakhstan, gained recognition and popularity among the audience, won international fame and became one of the brightest representatives of modern Kazakhstani choreographic art for the foreign audience.

The "Astana Ballet" is the founder and creator of the popular International Festival "EURASIAN DANCE FESTIVAL", in which participated the stars of the Royal Ballet (London), the State Ballet (Berlin), the Bolshoi Theater (Moscow), the Mikhailovsky Theater (St. Petersburg), the State Opera Theater of Hungary, etc., as well as such companies as the "National Ballet of China", "National Ballet of Slovenia", "Universal Ballet" (South Korea), "Japanese International Ballet Company", "Pavlo Virsky National Honored Academic Dance Ensemble of Ukraine" etc.

Since 2021, Nurlan Kanetov has been the artistic director of the theater.