XXIV Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Festival takes place in Ufa

The Bashkir State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater hosts the XXIV Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Festival. It is rightfully considered one of the authoritative ballet forums and is known worldwide. The festival has been held in Ufa since 1993 on the initiative of Yuri Grigorovich and Shamil Teregulov.

On March 17, Rudolf Nureyev's birthday, flowers were laid at his bas-relief on the facade of the Bashkir Opera and Ballet Theater. The ceremony was attended by the general director of the theater, Alexander Alekseev, People's Artist RB Lyudmila Shapkina, Honored Artist RB Guzeliya Abdulmanova, guest of the Nureyev Festival—soloist of the Mariinsky Theater Maria Bulanova, and theater staff.

The Nureyev Festival opened with a Gala concert, “His name is Rudolf Nureyev.” The gala concert featured the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Oleg Gabyshev, Maria Bulanova (Mariinsky Theatre), Arthur Mkrtchyan (K. S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater), Ilnur Gayfullin (Tatar Opera and Ballet Theater) and artists of the R. Nureyev ballet troupe: Sergey Bikbulatov, Rustam Iskhakov, Valeria Isaeva, Gulsina Mavlyukasova, Irina Sapozhnikova, Amina Mukhametova, Sofya Saitova.

On March 19, the legendary Bashkir ballet “The Crane Song” by Lev Stepanov and Zagir Ismagilov was shown on the theater stage. Gulsina Mavlyukasova, Oleg Shaibakov, Sofya Saitova, and Sergei Bikbulatov performed the lead roles.

On March 20, the ballet “Don Quixote” by Minkus will be presented to the audience, where the main roles featuring Irina Sapozhnikova and Ivan Mikhalev (K. S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater), as well as Polina Dolgaleva (Bolshoi Theater of Russia).

On March 21, Ufa residents and guests of the capital will see the ballet La Sylphide by Levenskold with soloists of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, Elizaveta Kokoreva and Denis Zakharov.

On March 22, guest stars will also perform solos in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake: Olga Marchenkova, Dmitry Vyskubenko, Ivan Sorokin (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), as well as Ilnur Gaifullin and Salavat Bulatov (Tatar Opera and Ballet Theater).

The festival will end on March 23 with another grand gala concert “Legend of Ballet” with the participation of invited artists: Nadezhda Ivanova (Moscow Ballet Theater of Classical Choreography La Classique), Olga Marchenkova, Denis Zakharov, Evgenia Obraztsova, Dmitry Vyskubenko, Denis Rodkin (Bolshoi Theater of Russia), Sergey Kuptsov (Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theater), Ilnur Gaifullin (Tatar Opera and Ballet Theater), as well as Adamzhan Bakhtiyar and Aidan Kalzhan (Astana Opera, Kazakhstan).

Author: Leila Aralbaeva