KYZ ZHIBEK (SADT)

Biography

Ballet in 2 acts.

Composer - Yevgeny Brusilovsky, musical fragments of the opera of the same title. Libretto - Bulat Ayukhanov. Choreography and staging - Bulat Ayukhanov, Shara Zhienkulova. The premiere of the ballet took place in 1967. It was staged for the ECM "Young Ballet of Alma-Ata" under the direction of Bulat Ayukhanov.

Characters and first performers: Kyz-Zhibek - Nelly Pak; Tulegen - Alexey Semyanov; Bekezhan - Baurzhan Eshmukhambetov; Shege - Vakil Usmanov; Duriya - Lyailya Seydalina.

This performance occupies a special place in the theatre's repertory chronicle. B. Ayukhanov several times staged it under the titles: “Song of Kyz-Zhibek”, “Gakku”, “Gak ku. The Swan's Call” - 1974, 1987, 2007, 2022. For the 2007 performance, the music was written by A. Isakova. Author of choreography and libretto B. Ayukhanov. In subsequent years, the title roles in these productions were performed by: Kyz-Zhibek - Sairagul Nursultanova, Aitolkyn Turginbayeva, Amina Akylbekova, Gulnar Kamalova, Ainur Mukasheva; Tulegen - Gennady Sitakov, Rinat Mussin, Erken Utepov, Madi Kasymov; Bekezhan - Ravil Saifulin, Erik Ospanov, Diyar Akenev. All options are based on the famous Kazakh epic, but the ballet performance does not follow the exact storylines of the folklore source. The choreographer selected only the most important and interesting ones, where there is a visible stage conflict, namely the relationship between Kyz Zhibek, Tulegen and Bekezhan.