XIII Dance OpenInternational Ballet Festival

In 2014 our festival celebrated its 13th edition, but we have decided that this was not the reason for superstitious fears, but a motivation to arrange things differently, such as new ways of shaping the program, searching partners, choosing venues, creating visual design.

But we left invariable fundamental pillars of the Dance Open — week series of master-classes and Award Ceremony, as well as credo of the Festival: straight-out selection of the best in the world of ballet.

So, what was new?

- The key partner of that season was Alexandrinsky theatre. All events of the main program took place at its legendary stage. We are sincerely grateful to the theater for its eagerness to cooperate.

- The main accent of the XIII season was a contemporary author's choreography. We were used to make tributes to outstanding ballet personalities of the past, but now we decided to attract your attention to those masters of ballet who assign the world trends of this art nowadays.

- Emphasis on author’s choreography. We tried to draw attention to work of choreographers, whose work defines world’s trends in ballet. Our choice was: Dwight Rhoden, Thierry Malandin and Hans van Manen.

- Full-scale choreographic performances. In 2013 we have tried for the first time to enrich the festival program with one-act ballets. The full choreographic production, even of a short length allows a reflective spectator appreciate the beauty of dance conception in all its depth. And we proved this once again with the performances of these three outstanding companies of nowadays: Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Malandain Ballet Biarritz and Dutch National Ballet.

- In its 13th season Dance Open festival presented a record number of premieres: from St. Petersburg, other Russian cities and even Europe. A special gift of the great Hans van Manen was his new choreographic miniature with harp live music that was premiered in Amsterdam just before coming to St. Petersburg.

- Reconstruction of a masterpiece. One of the secrets of eternal youth of choreographic art, incredible as it may seem, is continuance of traditions, ability to find inspiration in masterpieces of the past. Our own gift to St. Petersburg was a revival of a gorgeous Grand Pas Electrique from an unfairly forgotten masterpiece by Marius Petipa — The Bluebeard. The world premiere of this piece was held at the final gala of the Festival.

- Undoubtedly, the most sought after event of the Dance Open has been a Gala of the Ballet Stars. The performance weaved from masterpieces, where each choreography, each gesture, is a citation that evokes an endless chain of emotions and associations.