In the whirlwind of February days, when the winter is preparing to hand over its dominion to spring, fiery passions will unfold on Astana Opera’s Grand Hall stage. Viewers are invited to take an exciting journey into the world of ballet: Boris Asafiev’s famous choreographic canvas The Fountain of Bakhchisarai will be presented on February 14 and 15. Along with stage arts masters, young dancers will take part in the production, and it will be a debut performance for them, El.kz cites astanaopera.kz.
Choreographer Rostislav Zakharov created one of the best examples of dramatic ballet – The Fountain of Bakhchisarai. Its literary basis was the poem of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The celebrated choreographer has many merits, but his contribution is also great to the formation and development of the national choreographic art of our country. Thus, his creative work was awarded the high title of People’s Artist of the Kazakh SSR. His original version of The Fountain of Bakhchisarai was very carefully passed on to the new generation of Astana Opera’s dancers by world ballet star Altynai Asylmuratova. She is deservedly considered the best Zarema of her time.
Astana Opera Ballet’s principal dancer Anel Rustemova said that preparing the part of Zarema with Altynai Asylmuratova is a tremendous experience. “I admire her literally at every rehearsal, because she not only shows us the movements, but also explains the emotional side of the role. Ms. Asylmuratova always says that we are all different, and everyone presents their part as they feel. At one time, she herself brilliantly performed Zarema. One can watch her stunning character portrayal endlessly. Everything is conveyed with such sensuality and precision, that there is no need to ask the question: “What emotions is the ballerina experiencing now?” I have been performing this role for several years. Of course, every part changes with every stage performance, because we grow, become spiritually enriched, and therefore, we can add new colors and emotions to our interpretation. What path a person has taken, easy or thorny – all this is truly visible onstage. I was very emotional from an early age, now it helps me feel the role and live it out onstage. I think that my Zarema “grows” every year precisely in the spiritual sense. When you take the stage for the first time, you think about technique more, about certain elements in the performance, but in subsequent performances you focus more on the emotional side,” principal dancer Anel Rustemova says.
“The role is also technically difficult, since it is a power role, all built on large leaps. We can say that the part even includes male jump elements. Zarema only appears in the second act, and her variations are literally consecutive. Plus, you need to add passion and genuine emotions to the technique and show it not at one hundred percent, but at two hundred percent. The part is close to me, because a woman’s inner world is represented here. In my opinion, Zarema cannot imagine life without love, without Ghirei, because he is her everything, and her heart and soul belong to the Khan. Here you need to show jealousy, passion, love, tenderness – all the feelings that a woman has. You must behave onstage in such a way that shows that you are the best in the harem. The reason is that there was no one more beautiful and more loved than her, and only with the appearance of Maria her life turned upside down and was divided into “before” and “after”. Since childhood, when I saw Zarema onstage, I felt very sorry for her, despite the fact that she killed Maria. It is not difficult to understand why she took this step: she wanted to be last and only one,” the ballerina added.
Thus, these days, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan Anel Rustemova and the ballet company soloist Anastasia Zaklinskaya will present Zarema. Honored Worker of Kazakhstan Madina Unerbayeva and Adelina Tulepova will portray gentle Maria. Young ballet dancer Aidan Kalzhan is preparing for his debut as Khan Ghirei, and Zhanibek Imankulov will perform this role on the second day. Aidan Kalzhan noted that he performed such main parts as the Nutcracker Prince, Sultan Beibarys, Torero, and now another famous character will be added to the list, which is a great achievement for him.
“Khan Ghirei in The Fountain Bakhchisarai is one of my dream parts, and I am getting closer to achieving it. This role requires great acting skills. You need to make the viewers feel his thoughts, and this is the complexity and a special feature of this role. My mentors and teachers taught me about the intricacies of performing this part, how I should behave onstage, and that even a simple attitude is of great importance. I hope to justify their trust,” ballet dancer Aidan Kalzhan said.
In this magical atmosphere of talent and emotion, the audience will be treated to a unique experience, and the stage will be a testament to the majestic fusion of art and mastery.