Astana Opera’s principal dancer Bakhtiyar Adamzhan: “I Defend My Motherland with My Art”
On Defender of the Fatherland Day, Astana Opera will present the famous production of Khachaturian’s Spartacus. This heroic ballet will take place at the opera house’s Grand Hall on May 7 and 8. The opera house’s principal dancer, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Bakhtiyar Adamzhan, congratulated all Kazakhstanis on the upcoming holiday and talked about how one of the most complex male ballets, Spartacus, appeared in Astana Opera’s repertoire ten years ago, El.kz cites astanaopera.kz.
“This ballet occupies a special place in my repertoire. At one time, the famous ballet master and my teacher Tursynbek Nurkaliyev said: “Bakhtiyar, we sent a video of your performances to Yuri Grigorovich (annotation: an outstanding choreographer). He saw true Spartacus in you and said that he agreed to stage this production at Astana Opera. Ever since then, this legendary hero has been with me for ten years. I remember that day as if it were yesterday; we spent almost two months preparing for the premiere. I was very young then, I worked in the opera house for less than a year,” says Bakhtiyar Adamzhan, recalling the ballet that is close to his heart. “This is a physically very difficult performance. I admit, although I did not fully understand Spartacus at the premiere, in this ballet the qualities of struggle, courage, heroism and bravery, characteristic of our people, were fully revealed to me. Therefore, it was not difficult for me to portray the titular character. The most difficult thing was to convey the internal experiences of a slave, the point of view of a person without freedom, but by trying to put myself in the protagonist’s place, I found answers to many of my questions.”
According to Bakhtiyar Adamzhan, the story of Spartacus’s life path is complex, it is not easy to portray both from a technical, acting, and psychological point of view. That is why this ballet makes a person grow up quickly. “However, the more you can feel this and understand your character, the more you will change your attitude towards life. And the adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia demonstrates the ability to remain a man onstage, the protection of helpless souls, his attitude towards them, true love,” the principal dancer of the capital’s opera house added.
During the conversation, Bakhtiyar Adamzhan noted that a distinguishing characteristic of the men in the Kazakh ballet is that they strive to show onstage what they are like in life.
“Personally, when I go to perform abroad, I try to show our natural courage, nobility, attitude to life, and sometimes toughness. I would also like to say that not every athlete can perform the physical load that we do every day.”
“All the men in our ballet company are great professionals. The fact that we came to ballet influenced us only positively. It teaches a person discipline, educates him, brings him closer to art, helps him find answers to many questions that arise in the mind as a result of life situations created in dance onstage, and also teaches him to observe and look for beauty around him. A performer who can feel all this will become a person of strong spirit and will benefit society.”
Bakhtiyar also noted that he considers all those who serve in various fields and help strengthen the country’s independence to be defenders of the Motherland.
“I sincerely congratulate all Kazakhstanis on Defender of the Fatherland Day. I wish our country to be safe and our people to be peaceful. Defending your Motherland is not only the power of arms, but also work and bringing benefit to one’s country. Some people defend their Motherland with their education, successes, I defend my Motherland with my art. I invite everyone to watch the legendary ballet Spartacusat Astana Opera on May 7 and 8,” the principal dancer concluded.
It should be noted that on different days, Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Madina Unerbayeva and Shugyla Adepkhan will perform Phrygia, and Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Aigerim Beketayeva and Adelina Tulepova (debut) will present Aegina. Honoured Worker of Kazakhstan Bakhtiyar Adamzhan and Daniyar Zhumatayev (debut) will portray the famous Spartacus. Arman Urazov and Olzhas Tarlanov (debut) will take the stage as Crassus.
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