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Russian Ballet Enchants with Veiled Beauties and Magic LampPrint OptionsMore InformationRelated Information |
Russian Ballet Enchants with Veiled Beauties and Magic Lamp
Johnson County Community College
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The State Ballet Theatre of Russia, accompanied by a full symphony orchestra, will perform the classic A Thousand and One Nights at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College. Artist Insights begin at 7 p.m.
A Thousand and One Nights brings to life the enchanting stories of Sinbad the Sailor, Aladdin and the magic lamp, and Ali Baba and the 40 thieves. The story begins with a sultan who comes home early from a hunting expedition to witness his wife committing adultery. The angry sultan commences a killing spree, intent on murdering all the women in his kingdom until he encounters a beautiful young girl who stays her execution with fanciful stories each night. Fikret Amirov’s score, lavish costumes, choreography and lighting bring to life the vibrancy of an opulent Arabian culture. Strong Russian ballet drives home the exotic and mysterious feel of ninth century Persia. Amirov’s delightful score, debuted in 1979, is strongly influenced by Azeri folk melodies. Anative of Azerbaijan, the prolific Amirov created a new genre of symphonic works which combines classical orchestrations with folk melodies, beautifully illustrated in A Thousand and One Nights. The 2006-2007 season marks the debut North American performances of the State Ballet Theater of Russia, which is the touring name of the Voronezh State Theatre of Opera and Ballet, established in 1961. The director of the Voronezh State Theatre of Opera and Ballet is the honored artist of Russia, Igor Nepomnyashchy, and the artistic director of the ballet is Nabilya Valitova. At the end of the 1960s and in the beginning of the 1970s, the company’s playbill contained Peer Gynt by E.Grieg, Giselle and Le Corsaire by Aidan, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev, and Young Lady and Hooligan by Shostakovich. By the 1970s the works of modern composers were widely introduced: A. Khachaturyan’s Gayane, E. Lazarev’s Antony and Cleopatre, R. Shchedrin’s Carmensuite and Mischievous Chastooshki, A. Petrov’s Adam and Eve, A. Crein’s Laurensia and ballet classics such as A. Glazunov’s Raimonda, and L. Gerold’s Vain Precaution.
The State Ballet Theatre of Russia has toured with productions of traditional Russian classics throughout France, Germany, Holland and Czechoslovakia, as well as India and throughout Africa with engagements in Tunisia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.
Among the company’s 54 dancers are many distinguished Russian artists and winners of many international ballet competitions, who have represented the art of Russian ballet worldwide.
Tickets are $40 and $30, available by calling the Carlsen Center box office, 9134694445, or online at www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter.
As part of the Carlsen Center Arts Education program, the State Ballet Theatre of Russia will have a ballet master dance class for intermediate and advanced dancers from 45:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, at an offsite location. For more information, call Angel Mercier, 9134698500, ext. 4221.
