The September playbill will bring audiences the Primorsky Stage premieres of the one-act ballets Bambi and In the Jungle. The first performances will be on 24 and 25 September.
Libretto author and costumes designer Anna Matison based the ballets on Felix Salten stories about a fawn named Bambi. Participant of the Mariinsky Theatre project “Creative Workshop of Young Choreographers,” Anton Pimonov choreographed the ballet to the music of Andrei Golovin and Aleksandr Lokshin. Afterwards, both productions became part to the Mariinsky Theatre repertoire.
Anton Pimonov shared his thoughts: “I believe that you have to speak with children from the very start the same way you speak to adults. And I am trying to stage these productions as “adult” ballets. For me it is important for children to be able to understand my choreography, indeed for people of all ages to understand what it is all about. And these ballets are about kindness."
Bambi is a kind and a cautionary tale of the brave little fawn-Prince. In the beginning of the story the young hero is just beginning to make friends and learn about the magical forest he lives in. But the road ahead holds trials for the little fawn: hunger, rivalry, a battle for the throne, as well as dealing with the troublemakers of the forest—the hunters. At the end of a fairy tale, Bambi is reunited with his beloved Faline. The story continues with Bambi and Faline’s children in the ballet In the Jungle
The colorful costumes and sets create the atmosphere of a fairy tale and a magical jungle on stage. Moving away from the typical imagery of forest creatures, the production presents the characters in a new, vivid, and memorable way.
