XII Dance Open International Ballet Festival
April 18 - 22, 2013
Breathtaking pieces, outstanding choreography and actual approach to dance — here are the main traits of this festival which traditionally culminates in brilliant gala concert
From one year to another Dance Open proves its name: dance here is really open — which means that hard frames of genre are not welcome. Except for the extreme avant-garde, which is almost not a dance, is not allowed here (so far?). One can see here classical, neo classicl, modern, modern-dance pieces. Even acrobatics.
Everyone is equal in Dance Open, everyone are the best of the best. The most famous artists, affluent choreographers and ballet masters gathered in St. Petersburg for six days. To participate in master-classes, young dancers applied six months in advance.
In many aspects in 2013 we kept our traditions. As usual, we gathered the most prominent dancers of the world with their crowning pieces. The master classes tradition remained the same as well: outstanding teachers of Russian school worked with students from all continents. And again there was a the most knowledgeable and demanding Jury Panel, defining the winners of the Dance Open Award under the direction of the legendary Natalia Makarova.
Nonetheless, we considered the 2013 program to be absolutely new, and almost revolutionary, as it had many things that happened for the first time in the history of the Festival:
— for the first time the Dance Open placed emphasis on contemporary choreography. It is probably a general trend, as there are more and more well performed and captivating modern productions. Therefore, new choreographies significantly substituted alltime classical pas-de-deux;
— for the first time we dedicated a Gala to the art of a choreographer and offered you to plunge into the history of Russian ballet, making a tribute to the choreographers of 3 different centuries;
— lastly, for the first time in the history the Dance Open program consisted not only of gala performances, but nights of one-act ballets. The choreographers are our today’s heroes, seeking for new forms, expressions in their works, new meanings in familiar music pieces… they joke… they suffer… they talk to the audiences in dance, conducting a serious dialogue, requiring complete emotional reaction.
We are sincerely grateful to the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Government of St. Petersburg, sponsors and patrons of the Festival.