On September 26 and 27, 2023, Fikret Amirov’s ballet A Thousand and One Nights based on the famous Arabian fairy tales was performed for the first time on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre in the choreographic embodiment by Eldar Aliev.
The main parts were performed by the first soloist of the Mariinsky Ballet Renata Shakirova, who appeared as Scheherazade and Nurida on different days, as well as by the leading soloists of the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage, prima ballerina Lilia Berezhnova, principal dancers Sergei Umanetc and Viktor Mulygin, and the first soloist Lada Sartakova.
It was the first encounter of the Moscow audiences with the original performance of the Vladivostok Company’s ballet repertoire. The choreography of the ballet is done in a neoclassical style and contains elements of folklore, reflecting the colorful palette of Oriental dances.
“A Thousand and One Nights is special for me for two reasons. It was the first narrative ballet where I was the choreographer, and it also became the last ballet where I performed the leading part. While working on the ballet choreography, I aimed to create a large-scale performance that would harmoniously combine all the elements of a modern ballet, that is, drama, music, dancing, costumes, scenery, and lighting design. I was keen to achieve the effect of completely immersing the audiences in the music and dance world of Arabian fairy tales ruled by Love, Beauty and Wisdom”, comments the Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage, Eldar Aliev.
The performances were held as part of the “Leading Theatres” line of the “Great Tour” project organized by the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Culture ROSCONCERT in accordance with the All-Russian Tour and Concert Plan of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
