Full house and ovation: Astana Ballet on tour in London

LONDON, 12 September 2019 – Astana Ballet made its debut on the stage of the legendary Royal Opera House in Covent Garden with the support of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the United Kingdom. The performance in London was a full house. The audience appreciated the rich tour programme and the skill of the Kazakh company, the press service of the Kazakh Embassy in London informs.

The honoured guests of the evening included the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Kazakhstan Baroness Emma Nicholson, Vice-Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Kazakhstan Lord Mohamed Sheikh, former President of Mexico Carlos Salinas, and the British fashion designer Omar Mansoor.

The Kazakh company presented their signature productions to the London art connoisseurs – one-act ballets from their neoclassical repertoire – «Love Fear Loss» and «A Fuego Lento», as well as a national divertissement titled «Heritage of the Great Steppe».

«The artists are in great shape: they are plastic, artistic and musical. London has seen thousands of different ballet companies, but I can tell you for sure: this one impressed everyone. National costumes and music are simply magnificent,» said Sally Moore who was among the audience.

The revelation of the evening was the London premiere of the «Salome» one-act ballet. English playwright Oscar Wilde’s shocking interpretation of the famous biblical story served as an inspiration for the Kazakh choreographer Mukaram Avakhri.

«It was very exciting and honourable to present Oscar Wilde’s original work in London because there is always a risk of being misunderstood. Judging by the reaction of the audience, which is always very interesting to observe, we can say they understood and appreciated us. I am overall satisfied with the artists and the evening,» said the Chief Choreographer of the Astana Ballet Theatre.

The signature one-act performance made a lasting impression on the public. The audience noted the peculiarities of the choreography, the harmony of colours, scenery, costumes and music.

«It is a very vivid and intense ballet, the action on the stage kept us on the edge of our seats. I liked the choreography, it is very impressive. The way the artists moved on the stage, their physique – everything was filled with expression, I was delighted. Despite the ballet being based on Oscar Wilde’s play, it has a lot of Oriental in it: I think it is mostly due to the music. It is magnificent and kept me in suspense until the last minute,» said William Bink.