Kyiv Modern Ballet presents the ballet-journey “A Minute Before Christmas”
On December 21 the “Kyiv Modern Ballet” Academic Theatre presents the ballet-journey “A Minute Before Christmas” to music by Camille Saint-Saëns and the motif of Carol of the Bells.
This was reported to Ukrinform by the project director and principal ballet master of the «Kyiv Modern Ballet» theatre Radu Poklitaru.
«Few composers possess such a varied musical palette, such a diversity of styles, such dissimilarity of one musical work from another, as Saint-Saëns. Given that we wanted to make a ballet-extravaganza for children and adults, I had no doubt that it was precisely the music of Saint-Saëns that would best suit these purposes. And as for the ringing carol, the «Carol of the Bells» (Carol of the Beels), it is the absolute symbol of Christmas and the world’s most famous Ukrainian music associated with Christmas. The plot of the ballet-journey «A Minute Before Christmas» – is a completely new fairy tale written by the author of the libretto Oksana Taranenko», Poklitaru recounted.
The choreographer Serhii Kon noted that this is his first experience working as a choreographer together with the artists of the «Kyiv Modern Ballet» theatre. «The desire to work and create a new production with dancers at a professional contemporary dance theatre had arisen quite a long time ago. When I received the invitation to work with the artists of the «Kyiv Modern Ballet» theatre and to create the choreography of a new Christmas performance, I agreed at once», said Kon.
«A Minute Before Christmas» – is a one-act ballet-journey for children and adults. It is a story about Christmas adventures that happened a very long time ago in a European family a minute before Christmas: a journey between fantastical worlds, the struggle of good against evil, a true miracle and the fulfilment of dreams.
«In this fairy tale we embed a great many ideas that are important for young spectators, for children, for teenagers. Why is it a journey? Because we all know that each of us is the hero of our own life. In the same way, our protagonist too will be searching for his family, which vanished on the eve of Christmas. In order to gain strength, gain experience, understand who he is, what he possesses, what qualities he has, he must set out on a journey. Set out into some strange worlds, into unfamiliar spaces, into new universes. Everywhere he comes, strange trials or new friends will await him», said the author of the libretto Oksana Taranenko.
The author of the video content Olha Nikitina spoke about the features of the stage design. «The venue where the premiere will take place is equipped with LED screens, and this makes it possible to combine innovative technologies with contemporary choreography. The video scenery will help the audience, together with the main characters, journey through fantastical fairy-tale worlds, and will also create the atmosphere of unique worlds so unlike one another, while at the same time helping to convey the passage of time strikingly and expanding the imagination», Nikitina noted.
The premiere of the ballet «A Minute Before Christmas» is scheduled for 21, 22, 23 December 2023 and 2 - 6 January 2024 on the stage of the Kyiv cultural cluster «Krakiv».
UKRINFORM
