Dance open

DANCE OPEN - the annual International Ballet Festival, founded in 2001 in St. Petersburg . Every year dancers and choreographers of various ballet troupes of the world ^[1] take part in it: the State Opera of Paris , the Stuttgart Ballet, the National Opera of Ukraine , the Bolshoi Theater of Russia , the Hamburg Ballet, the English National Ballet, the New York City Ballet, the Mariinsky Theater , the Mikhailovsky Theater , Berlin State Opera , Dresden Semper Oper Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theater , etc.

International Ballet Festival DANCE OPEN

DANCE OPEN is an international ballet festival, held annually in March-April in St. Petersburg (Russia) and includes a diverse program of entertainment, educational and social events dedicated to choreography. Russian critics have marked the creative niche of the festival in the following way: “Dance Open justifies its name from year to year: dance here is really open - in the sense that solid genre frameworks are not welcome. Is that the coolest avant-garde, which is almost no dance, the entrance is closed (for now?). And so you can see the classics, and neoclassics, and modern dance, and stage. Even acrobatics ”// Maya Krylova,“ Novye Izvestiya ” ^[2] .

For 13 seasons, over 120 world ballet stars, representing 28 leading troupes from 13 countries of the world, have appeared on the scene of the DANCE OPEN. More than 120 master classes were held, in which more than 700 young dancers and dancers from 18 states took part ^[3] .

According to media reports ^[4] , ^{[5] The} festival is one of the most significant events in the cultural life of St. Petersburg. The British daily newspaper The Independent named the festival DANCE OPEN in the top ten of the best European festivals of spring 2011 ^[6] .

Founders

The author of the idea and the permanent leader of the DANCE OPEN is Ekaterina Galanova , a former ballet dancer of the Mariinsky Theater ^[7] .

History

For the first time DANCE OPEN was held in 2001 in the format of a series of master classes for ballet school students from different countries who were conducted by leading teachers of the Russian choreographic school, mainly from the A. Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet . The festival program is constantly expanding. Now, along with the educational component, it includes a number of public events: gala concerts of world ballet stars, thematic concerts dedicated to the works of legends of world choreography, as well as ballet history, tour performances of the best ballet troupes of the world, gala concerts of young stars, exhibitions and film presentations, etc. The final event of the festival week is a gala concert of ballet stars, which until 2007 was attended by only soloists of Russian troupes. In the VI season, the concept has changed, the Festival has become international. The structure of the gala concert also underwent changes: if earlier it consisted mainly of fragments of world famous classical productions, such as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Spartak, Esmeralda, The Lady of Camellias, Bayadere and others, it is now widely represented outstanding examples of modern choreography.

From 2007 to 2013, the final gala concert was held in the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall, and in the 2014 season. first held on the main stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater . Over the years, the best theater halls of the city became the grounds for festival shows: the Mikhailovsky and Alexandrinsky theaters , the Opera and Ballet Theater of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. Rimsky-Korsakov.

Within the framework of the IX Festival (2010), the project “Ballet Legends” was launched - a series of anniversary evenings dedicated to outstanding dancers of the 20th century. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of iconic figures in the world of Russian and Soviet ballet - Galina Ulanova , Tatiana Vecheslova , Konstantin Sergeyev and Vakhtang Chabukiani their students - Ulyana Lopatkina , Vladimir Malakhov , Tsiskaridze , Victoria Tereshkina , Denis Matvienko , Anastasia Matvienko , Marat Shemiunov , Irina Perren , Elena Evseeva and others - recreated and performed the numbers of jubilees. In 2012, the organizers continued the project and held a jubilee evening in honor of the 100th anniversary of the ballerina Natalia Dudinskaya . The main goal of the project “Ballet Legends” is to preserve the cultural heritage of Russia - the Russian ballet school. The project included scientific and practical conferences devoted to the development of modern ballet, and an exhibition of photographs from the personal archive of the ballerina Natalia Makarova .

In 2010, the annual St. Petersburg International Ballet Prize DANCE OPEN was also established, the purpose of which is to celebrate the achievements of contemporary ballet dancers.

In 2011, the gala of Russian stars and a concert dedicated to the jubilee of Natalia Makarova , which was marked by the presence of the ballerina herself and her participation in the concert program as a commentator and narrator, filled up the program of the anniversary X festival.

The innovation of the 2012 season was an evening entirely devoted to the performance of a foreign ballet troupe - the American ballet BAD BOYS OF DANCE. As part of the next XII festival, in the format of the evening of one-act ballets, three ballet troupes were already on tour: Slovenian National Theater Maribor, Semperoper Ballet Dresden (Germany) and the Bolshoi Theater of Russia .

Master Classes

Children's workshops for pupils of ballet schools - a constant component of the program DANCE OPEN, held in St. Petersburg every year, starting in 2001.

The purpose of the master classes is the direct exchange of experience of teachers and students from different countries, as well as the demonstration of methods of teaching choreography in Russian ballet schools. Master classes are held for three groups of participants, which are determined depending on the level of training: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Age of participants - from 7 to 25 years. Master classes teachers are specially invited artists, choreographers and stage directors. The teachers of DANCE OPEN master classes in different years included Arthur Mitchell , Lyubov Kunakova, Gennady Selyutsky , Mark Aurelio, Lyudmila Semenyaka, Vlastimil Kharapes, Vladimir Malakhov and many others. At the end of the master classes, their best participants give a gala concert of young stars. In addition to classes in dance classes, special excursions around St. Petersburg are organized for the participants, as well as the opportunity to attend all the events of the Festival.

St. Petersburg International Ballet Awards DANCE OPEN

The annual (since 2015 - held every two years) DANCE OPEN award marks the highest personal achievements of ballet soloists - the combination of virtuoso technique and artistry, regardless of styles, genres and trends of the numbers they perform.

The nominees for the Award are nominated by the organizing committee of the Festival, and it is they who demonstrate their skills at the Gala Concert of DANCE OPEN world ballet stars, which is the culmination of the Festival. The international jury, consisting, as a rule, of the heads of ballet troupes from different countries, watches the performances of the nominees and decides by secret ballot which of them and in which nomination will receive the award. In case of disputable situations, the decisive word belongs to the Chairman of the jury, who during the first four years of the award’s existence was ballet dancer Natalia Makarova , and then choreographer Hans van Manen became. Over the years, the jury consisted of John Neumayer (Hamburg Ballet), Boris Eifman (EifmanBallet), Altynai Asylmuratov ( Academy of Russian Ballet named after A.Ya. Vaganova ), Ivan Lishka (Bavarian State Opera), Vladimir Malakhov (Berlin State Opera), Angel Koreya (CorellaBallet), Carla Fracci (Teatro dell 'Opera di Roma), Yuri Fateev ( Mariinsky Theater ), Yuri Burlaka ( Bolshoi Theater of Russia ), Ivan Nadzh, Kevin Mackenzie (American Ballet Theater), Reed Anderson (StuttgartBallet), Sergey Filin ( Bolshoi Theater of Russia ), Ted Brandsen (Dutch National Ballet), Olga Guardia de Smoak (UNESCO, USA), Vlastimil Harapes (Slovak National Theater), Kenneth Greve (Finnish National Opera), Kevin O'Hare ( Royal Theater Covent Garden ), Krzysztof Pastor (Polish National Ballet), Arthur Mitchell (Dance Theater of Harlem (DanceTheatreof Harlem)) Wayne Igling (English National Ballet), Edward Klug (Slovenian National Theater of Maribor), Hans van Manen (Dutch National Ballet), Igor Zelensky ( Moscow Academic Musical Theater) Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko ), Aaron S. Watkin (Semperoper Ballet Dresden (Germany), David Dawson (United Kingdom), Galina Stepanenko ( Bolshoi Theater of Russia ), Yuri Posokhov ( Bolshoi Theater of Russia ), Thierry Malandain (Malandain Ballet Biarritz (France) ), Alexei Bessmertny (International Dance Festival TANZOLYMP (Germany)), Manuel Legri (Vienna State Ballet (Austria)), Dwight Rodin (Complexions Contemporary Ballet (USA)), Denis Matvienko .

The winner of the award is a crystal replica of the sculpture created in 1913 by B. O. Fredman-Kluzel from a cast of the ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. The prototype of this award - the sculpture itself - is stored in the St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatrical and Musical Art.

The award ceremony ^[8] is a closed event intended for special guests of the festival: famous artists, athletes, musicians, big businessmen and honorary residents of the city. Over the years, among them were Alisa Freindlich , Lyubov Tolkalina , Nikolai Valuev , Alina Kabaeva , Alla Sigalova , Mikhail Boyarsky , Edward Khil , Evgeny Dyatlov , Alexander Domogarov , Vyacheslav Malafeev , Tamara Moskvin , Daria Moroz , Konstantin Bogomolov and others.

Award Nominations

Grand Prix "DANCE OPEN"
Best duet
Mr. Virtuosity
Ms. Virtuosity
Mr. Expressiveness
Ms. Expressiveness
People's Choice Award

DANCE OPEN Award Winners

2010 - Lucia Lakkara (Grand Prix), Ivan Vasiliev , Natalia Osipova , Victoria Tereshkina , Erman Cornejo, Polina Semionova, Jurgita Dronina and Luka Vetere, Daniel Simkin.
2011 - Ivan Vasilyev and Natalya Osipova (Grand Prix), Yona Acosta, Victoria Tereshkina , Stephen MacRae, Jurgita Doronina and Ashley Bauder, Denis and Anastasia Matvienko, Lucia Lakkara.
2012 - Yana Salenko (Grand Prix), Yona Acosta, Yevgenia Obraztsova , Dinu Tamazlakaru, Maria Eikhvald, Jiri Bubenichek and Otto Bubenichek, Daniel Ulbricht, Vladimir Malakhov (Prize for outstanding contribution to the development of ballet art).
2013 - Lucia Lakarra (Grand Prix), Fabien Varanje, Jurgita Dronina, Mikhail Caniskin, Eliza Cabrera, Joseph Gatti, Yana Salenko, Ashley Bauder, Hermann Cornejo, Olga Smirnova , Daniel Ulbricht.
2014 - Anna Tsygankova (Grand Prix), Misty Kopland, Vladimir Shklyarov , Semyon Chudin, Yana Salenko, Joseph Gati, Remi Wortmeyer, Yoel Careño.
2016 - Olga Smirnova and Semyon Chudin (Grand Prix), Manuel Legrey, Alicia Amatrian, Matthew Golding, Yana Salenko, Anna Tsygankova, Remi Wortmeyer, Jason Riley.
2018 - Marian Rademyaker (Grand Prix), Ekaterina Krysanova , Anna Ol, Bakhtiyar Adamjan, Ksenia Ovsyanik, Hiroaki Ishida, Daniel Ulbricht, Denis Drozdyuk, Lex Ishimoto.

DANCE OPEN activities outside the festival

Since 2007, DANCE OPEN has been holding gala concerts and master classes in Russian cities and abroad under its brand. The DANCE OPEN gala took place in more than two dozen countries, including:
2008 - Mumbai and Delhi (India),
2009 - Vilnius (Lithuania), Rostov-on-Don (Russia),
2010 - Copenhagen (Denmark), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Belgrade (Serbia), Zagreb (Croatia), Skopje (Macedonia), Banja Luka (Republic of Serpska)
2011 - Madrid (Spain), Savonlinna (Finland), Podgorica (Montenegro), Tirana (Albania), Sofia (Bulgaria), Sochi (Russia)
2012 - Manama (Bahrain), Delhi (India), Monaco (Monaco), Caracas, Maracaibo (Venezuela), Savonlinna (Finland), Kiev (Ukraine), Maribor (Slovenia)
2013 - Bratislava (Slovakia), Savonlinna (Finland), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Caracas (Venezuela), Vilnius (Lithuania)
2014 - Sochi (Russia), Savonlinna (Finland), Belgrade (Serbia)

2015 - Monaco (Monaco)

In 2011, DANCE OPEN launched a new system project in Finland “St. Petersburg - Savonlinna Ballet Days” ^[9] . The ballet days in Savonlinna mainly repeat the structure of the St. Petersburg festival: master classes for ballet school students, a children's gala concert for the participants of the master classes and a gala concert by world ballet stars in the medieval fortress of Olavinlinna.

In addition to the concert activities, DANCE OPEN is engaged in charity work, collaborating with the Our Children public movement. As part of the Little Traveler program, the Festival organizers pay for or provide transportation for children’s trips to the intellectual and entertainment centers of St. Petersburg.

Links

Official site
Video Channel Dance Open on YouTube
The official Dance Open page in the social network Facebook
Dance Open on Instagram
The official page of Dance Open in the social network " VKontakte "

Media about the Festival:

Notes

[1] Vesti.Ru: Stars Dance Open-2012

[2] Dancing on the Neva. Dance Open ballet festival ended in St. Petersburg - New Izvestia

[3] DANCE OPEN Ballet Festival - 13 years of life

[4] Stars of world ballet converged in the "Open Dance" - Neva time

[5] [1] , [2]

[6] Ten top spring festivals - News & Advice - Travel - The Independent

[7] Dossier: Ekaterina Galanova - Society - Arguments and Facts

[8] Festival Dance Open-2012 distributed "crystal legs" - Theaters - News of St. Petersburg - Fontanka.Ru

[9] Petersburg “Dance Open” conquered Finland - St. Petersburg, Finland, Mariinsky Theater, art, festival - BaltInfo.ru