On June 28, 2016 was opened the Summer ballet seasons in Moscow. It was started with one of the best ballet companies in the country – the Mari Opera and ballet “Swan lake”. Young performers captivated the audience with his art, passion and freshness, that was not easy given the wide popularity of the work.
The theatre’s artistic Director – Honored artist of Russia Konstantin Ivanov, familiar to the Moscow public as the leading soloist of the Bolshoi theatre of Russia. He danced in partnership with Nina Ananiashvili, Nadezhda Gracheva, Ulyana Lopatkina, Ilse Liepa and others. He sang Siegfried in “Swan lake”, Prince in the Nutcracker, Prince désiré in “Sleeping beauty” by P. I. Tchaikovsky, albert in “Giselle” by A. Adam, etc.
The artist was born in Yoshkar-Ola, capital of Mari El Republic, received an excellent education in Moscow (the Moscow Academy of Choreography and the Russian University of theatre arts) and reaching serious heights here and abroad, have returned to his homeland. In 2000, he headed the ballet troupe of the Mari state Opera and ballet theatre. E. Sapaev, opened a branch of “Choreographic art” of Mari Republican College of culture and arts. I. S. Palantay and the Director of the regional branch of the Union of theatrical figures of Russia. Since then, Mari ballet became the pride of the region and the jewel of ballet in the country.
Konstantin Ivanov underlines that he is a follower of the classical traditions of Russian ballet and sees its role in their conservation. Indeed, the scene unfolds live, modern, but designed in the familiar aesthetics of action. Well here glows with good wins, evil revels in his temporary triumph and losing ground. Artists full of inspiration.
Olga chelpanova (Odette-Odile), which is a continuation of 10 years of experience in the Mari theatre, says about the party: “this is my favorite party, I already got used to her, she is like family to me. So precious to me this way! Of course, with every performance you dance differently because I Wake up every morning in a different mood…”.
Kirill Parshin (Rothbart. The evil Genius) – 13 years in the theatre – on the question of what it’s like to be in the role of evil, responds, “Well, like a fish in water. Implemented as mask-wearing. The negative role is my element.”
Below we provide a few comments in the form of interviews, which gave us Konstantin Ivanov on the opening day of the Summer ballet seasons:
E-Vesti: Your dansers, as far as I could see, these are young dancers. Can I treat Your work as a contribution to the maintenance of the Russian ballet tradition, including from the point of view of educating the younger generation?
Konstantin Ivanov: So, I think You just properly noticed it.
First, we have 98% of the troupe is composed of students of our ballet school. This is probably a rare case when we are located in the province, not hastily looking for people across the country, but prepare the children in our school. Accordingly, they are brought up in the same aesthetics. Maybe they are different calibers, but they play on the stage in a single attitude.
Our troupe is distinguished by respect and respect, first, to what is happening on stage, and secondly, authors who put this show. This is for our company – the main tasks that we set for ourselves.
E-Vesti: You tour abroad a lot and I would like to ask You about the differences in audience: Moscow, Mari and Outside Russia.
Konstantin Ivanov: Let’s start with Mari the public. Ballet for Mari ELA is a pride, a national treasure. Today our theatre is in the Republic at a very esteemed position – we have built a new building two years we have been working in excellent conditions.
About Moscow… Today there are a lot of foreigners, but I am very pleased to see the ballet of the Moscow audience, including those people who can’t get to the Bolshoi theater or Musical theater. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko on the availability of tickets. They come in here. And, by the reaction last year, I was very pleased to see how earnestly they take our labor, our performances. We strive to ensure that they were true to the feelings that our characters on stage are experiencing, reached the public. This is all we have, thank God, there is.
About outside the country It’s difficult to say. Europe is one public, Asia – other, Mexico is the third.
E-Vesti: We basically, as a rule, look at Europe.
Konstantin Ivanov: We now have three main partners: Europe, Mexico, and China. We go to these countries. We are the representatives of Russian ballet, and our task is to show everything at a very high level. That is, we do not accept myself as the Mari ballet, we realize that we look like Russian ballet and we represent our country.
E-Vesti: You are definitely met sympathetic?
Konstantin Ivanov: Thank God. I always say that for us it’s a happiness and joy is that when we come to some country once, we immediately become permanent partners and for decades go to the same country and city, with the same impresario. And, in Europe, the audience comes to our shows every year.
E-Vesti: Thank you
Konstantin Ivanov: Thank you.
