From March 3 to 12, 2026, the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage will perform on tour at the Historical and New Stages of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. Over the course of ten evenings, the dancers from Vladivostok will present four very different productions from their repertoire, from an oriental fairy tale to classical masterpieces.
The tour will open with the ballet A Thousand and One Nights to music by Azerbaijani composer Fikret Amirov. The ballet is based on the distinguished collection of Arabic and Persian fairy tales, telling the story of the Ruler Shahryar and the wise Scheherazade, featuring amazing narratives that can heal even a wounded heart. The composer had studied the musical traditions of the Middle East during his travels, and this enabled him to create a work imbued with authentic oriental intonations and characteristic rhythmic patterns. The lavish percussion section sets a recognizable tinge, and the timbre palette is complemented by the sounds of the old-school string instruments. The performances, full of colorful costumes, captivating music, and virtuoso dances, will take place on March 3, 4, and 9, 2026 on the New Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. On March 9, 2026, there will be two performances: a matinee and an evening one.
The Historical Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will be hosting three ballets inextricably linked to the Saint Petersburg ballet tradition: The Nutcracker, Le Corsaire, and La fille mal gardée.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker will come as one of the highlights of the tour program. The story of a girl named Marie, who receives a mysterious doll as a gift, is unfolding on the brink of dream and actuality, childish fantasy and harsh reality. Tchaikovsky’s music imbues this fairy tale with a deep symphonic breath. Eldar Aliev’s production, which premiered on the Primorsky Stage in December 2014, is conceived as a ballet-féerie replete with state-of-the-art theatrical technologies. The production involves pyrotechnics, complex lighting designs, moving sets, and special effects. The choreography is based on Marius Petipa’s original scenario adapted for a present-day audience. The performances will be presented to Saint Petersburg audiences on March 5, 6, and 8, 2026. On March 8, 2026, the ballet will be performed in the afternoon and in the evening, offering the connoisseurs the opportunity to spend a festive evening in the company of their favorite characters from Hoffmann’s story.
On March 7, 2026, the Primorsky Stage will present matinee and evening performances of the ballet Le Corsaire, set to music by Adolphe Adam. Based on Lord Byron’s poem, this production is rightfully considered one of the most spectacular pieces in the classical ballet repertoire. Eldar Aliev’s version of Le Corsaire, first staged in Indianapolis and taken to Vladivostok in April 2015, is an audacious creative adaptation featuring fragments of Marius Petipa’s choreography. The main difference is the fundamental rejection of pantomime in favor of the uninterrupted dance action, which adds dynamic to the performance. Male dancers are brought to the forefront, with particular attention paid to the part of Conrad, requiring virtuosity and technical mastery. The adventure plot, pirate allure, dramatic conflicts, and extensive ensemble scenes set up a grand canvas that never fails to captivate audiences.
The tour will culminate with performances of the oldest ballet in the world theatre history, La fille mal gardée, set to the music by Louis Hérold. Created just before the French Revolution, this ballet was the first in history to address the lives of ordinary people, abandoning the canonical courtly themes. The characters express their emotions through lively pantomime and natural acting, rather than through conventional gestures. The underlying music that had developed by 1828 is a medley of folk melodies, gallops, waltzes, and pastoral scenes; all these make the ballet so surprisingly light and cheerful. The production with revised choreography by Oleg Vinogradov, People’s Artist of the USSR, is distinguished by its lively comedy plot and graceful pantomime scenes. It will be on stage on March 11 and 12, 2026.
