The Mariinsky Ballet’s tour of China concluded today with a captivating performance of Minkus’ La Bayadère at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, marking the culmination of a highly successful visit to the country. The tour, which spanned 10 to 26 October, encompassed three cities: Beijing, Nanchang and Shanghai.
Over the course of the tour the Mariinsky Ballet presented thirteen performances, showcasing renowned masterpieces from its repertoire, including Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Minkus’ La Bayadère, alongside a dazzling gala concert. Principal roles were played by leading dancers of the Mariinsky Ballet – Viktoria Tereshkina, Renata Shakirova, Oksana Skorik, Nadezhda Batoeva, Kimin Kim, Timur Askerov, Andrey Ermakov, Roman Belyakov, Elena Yevseyeva, Philipp Stepin, Alexandra Khiteyeva and Anastasia Lukina. Arseny Shuplyakov conducted the performances.
“It is significant that this autumn tour took place within the framework of the Russia–China Cross Years of Culture, declared by the heads of both states. At the solemn ceremony dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries, Xi Jinping remarked that music unites hearts and minds, and in Chinese culture it is traditionally perceived as a language of friendship. Dance, and especially classical dance, thrives on music: great Russian composers have generously gifted the ballet world with their works. One such masterpiece – Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet – we presented this year in China. That ballet has been enthusiastically received by audiences across all continents for almost eighty-five years. The second ballet that Chinese audiences saw – Minkus’ La Bayadère – represents the pinnacle of classical dance. It is immensely gratifying that we were able to present all these performances live, because theatrical art is, first and foremost, an exchange of emotions, and the Chinese public welcomed us with exceptional warmth. At certain moments the audience held their breath or even gasped at the dancers’ soaring leaps and other technically demanding feats. We see how the number of devoted fans who wait for our artists after the performances at the stage door to get autographs and photographs is growing every year, which means that the desire to see us more and more often in this wonderful, rapidly developing country with an ancient culture is also growing,” said Andrian Fadeyev, Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Ballet, summarising the tour.
The Mariinsky Theatre’s extensive tour of China took place from 10 to 27 October. The tour of the Mariinsky Ballet and Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev encompassed a total of seven cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Nanchang, Jinan, Nanjing, Shenzhen and Macao. The symphonic portion of the tour will conclude tomorrow, 27 October, with a concert at the Macao Cultural Centre.
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