26 june 2024 "Don Quixote" Opens The Second Competition "Sara-Nora Prima" На 30 юни от 19 ч. в главните роли влизат солистката на Софийската опера и балет Кристина Чочанов
Ballet fans who missed the euphoria of the three performances of the Don Quixote ballet in the summer of 2022 will have the privilege and aesthetic challenge of once again attending a top-class performance of Don Quixote on June 30 from 19:00 in the hall of the State Opera - Burgas. The event will also serve as the official opening of the Second International Ballet Competition "Sara-Nora Prima". The main roles of Kitri and Basil will be Kristina Chochanova and Simeon Atanasov, who is the winner of the first prize of the First International Ballet Competition "Sara-Nora Prima" 2023, and participation in a performance of the State Opera - Burgas was part of the prize.
The Burgas audience and guests of the city still remember the brilliant premiere performance of the ballet "Don Quixote", to the music of Ludwig Minkus - on June 7, 2022, on the Summer Theater in Burgas. With the performance in which the prima ballerina of the Sofia Opera and Ballet, Marta Petkova, is a guest, in partnership with the premier ballet dancer of the National Cultural Institute and the Burgas Opera, Emil Yordanov, the Burgas Music Festivals "Emil Chakarov" were officially opened. Admirers of the swirling southern rhythms had the opportunity to watch the performance with the soloist of the Sofia Opera and Ballet, Kristina Chochanova, also in partnership with Emil Yordanov, as well as with the prima ballerina of the State Opera - Stara Zagora, Anelia Dimitrova, and the premier ballerina of the Burgas Opera, Daniel Tichkov. For almost two years, the large-scale production has not been presented on the stage of Burgas, because it requires serious artistic capacity - both in terms of the number of performers and high technical difficulty. At the moment, the Opera troupe is already multinational, after competitions the composition was filled with new quality performers, especially in the male composition, which implies the presentation of such attractive performances - such as "Don Quixote" and "Corsair", whose remarkable premiere was in the beginning of June of this year
Fluids combining beauty, dynamics, craftsmanship, and southern passion emanate from the overall beauty of the performance. The wonderful production of "Don Quixote" is by Galina Kalcheva - director of the impressive large-scale ballet extravaganza choreographed by Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorski. The magnificent scenography, recreating the Spanish way of life and color originally, is by Ivan Tokadjiev, the bright and attractive costumes, which are completely in line with the idea of the sets, are the work of Yana Dvoretska, who created as many as 82 original stage clothes for the premiere, masterfully sewn by the Burgasska dressmakers opera, assistant director of the impressive production is Lina Peeva.
The general opinion of the production is that it has achieved an admirable combination of rhythms colored by passion, dynamics, and a whirlwind of emotions, and has an overall appearance that synchronizes ideas, music, artistic messages, and inspired performance, under the sign of true mastery. The level of technical provision of the show is also high - the sets and special effects are impressive and in line with the modern world trends in stage art.
The entire multi-colored extravaganza of "Don Quixote" at the Burgas Opera on Sunday will be built by dozens of performers - through the dynamics of movements and skillful delivery of emotional messages. In addition to the attractive soloists - Kristina Chochanova and Simeon Atanasov, the audience will have the pleasure of seeing a brilliant cast of artists in the roles in the show on June 30. The characteristic roles, requiring acting skills, of the symbolic couple from the novel by Miguel de Cervantes - Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, include Peter Tikholov - in the image of the Knight of the Sad Image, in the role of his faithful companion in chivalrous deeds - Sancho Panza, will be Francesco Pio Russo. The Burgas audience will see Teodor Tsakov and Natalie Ivanova, soloists of the ballet troupe - like Espada and Mercedes - attractive and brilliantly recreating the Spanish temperament through the various whirlwind dances. As the Lady of the Dryads – a stylish, impactful, deceiving class, will be Laia Ramon. With a dynamic stage presence and artistry, Kalina Nedelcheva will stand out on the stage of the Burgas Opera - as Amur. Dynamic and charming will be Ilina Konstantinova and Nanako Sato - as Kitri's friends. The characters of Basil's Friends - premier ballet dancer Daniel Tichkov and Shun Kalafune - promise a true southern air and temperament. In the passionate Gypsy dance as a ball of sensuality and dynamism will be the soloists of the ballet ensemble Yana Berduta and Kiril Filipov. Also intriguing is the image of Gamache, the famous conceited nobleman who unsuccessfully fights for the heart of the beautiful Kitri - performed by Stoyan Furtunov. The role of the Innkeeper will be played by Bozhidar Komitov. In the attractive Dance of the Bullfighters southern passion and dynamism are brought by: Daniel Tichkov, Shun Kalafune, Haru Nakagawa, Kiril Filipov, Kircho Zhelyazkov, and Patrick Gill.
The large-scale performance also features Bianka-Helen Giovanelli, Elena Georgieva, Gergana Georgieva, Maria Gabarova, Ivana Fialkovska, Mina Yalamova, Polina Pasha, Anelia Ivanova, Alexandrina Arabska, Rafaela-Maria Kuhl, Geri Kozarova, Julia Letsi and others.
Colorful and fresh is the presence in the large-scale spectacle of the graduates of the ballet classes of NUMSI "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov" - the city of Burgas, participating - extremely responsibly and in sync with the mastery of the other performers, in the beautiful fairy-tale scenes in which the dryads rule - the mythical forest creatures, patrons of trees.
In the beautiful, dynamic production of "Don Quixote", the artists from the ballet ensemble of the State Opera - Burgas achieve a traditionally high-performance level, dedication to the stage, and remarkable synchronicity.
The next day - July 1, at 6 p.m. on the stage of the State Opera - Burgas, the second edition of the "Sara-Nora Prima" International Ballet Competition begins, named after the prima ballerina and long-time director of the ballet troupe of the Sofia Opera and Ballet Sara-Nora Krasteva. The prestigious ballet forum, whose successful first edition was also held in the hall of the State Opera House - Burgas, will be a highlight of the summer cultural program of the seaside city again this year. About 140 young ballet dancers from several continents are expected to arrive at the competition /on July 1-6/ and the accompanying ballet academy /on July 1-9/. The competition is only for professionals, as last year's edition was at an extremely high level. Laureates participated in performances of the Burgas Opera - "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", "And the Badly Guarded Girl", as well as in the upcoming performance of "Don Quixote"; a ballet dancer from the prize-winners in the competition program has been part of the Opera's ballet ensemble for a year now. The awarded participants are given tours in several other prestigious world theaters, and this fact, not only the monetary prize, is an incentive for their brilliant future professional development. The authoritative international jury of the "Sara-Nora Prima" ballet competition will include: Sara-Nora Krasteva, chairman; Marta Petkova, prima ballerina, and artistic director of the ballet troupe of the Sofia Opera and Ballet; Nikola Hadjitanev, premier soloist of the Sofia Opera and Ballet; Prof. Masha Ilieva, prima ballerina, director, choreographer, ballet teacher; Ana Pavlovic, prima ballerina, artistic director of the Ballet of the National Theater in Belgrade; Ayshem Sunal Savashkert, Administrative and Artistic Director of the State Opera - Istanbul and Director of the Ballet; Dr. Seon-Hee Jang, Professor in the Department of Dance at Sejong University, Board Member of the Korean National Ballet, Artistic Director of the Ballet Company; Leonard Iacovina, principal soloist of the Berlin Staatsballett; Oguljan Borova, Head of Studio Company and Trainee Program; Silvia Tomova, prima ballerina, artistic director of the ballet at the State Opera - Stara Zagora. Mentors at the "Sara-Nora Master" ballet academy will be Sara-Nora Krasteva, Marta Petkova, Prof. Masha Ilieva, Nikola Khajitanev, Prof. Anna Pampulova, and Leonard Yakovina.
"Over BGN 40,000 is the prize fund of the competition, organized by the International Association "Sara-Nora Prima" and the Municipality of Burgas, with the financial assistance of the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Burgas. Among the additional prizes are tours and one-year contracts for ballet companies, both in our country and abroad. There is a scholarship for the training program and a contract for a tour with the Joffrey Ballet-Chicago," Sara-Nora Krasteva reports in an interview with BNR.
The host of the competition evenings and the gala concert will be the beloved TV presenter Georgi Ljubenov, who was also the emcee at last year's laureate awarding ceremony.
The competition evenings of "Sara-Nora Prima" 2024, starting at 6 p.m., as well as for the gala concert - from 7 p.m. on July 6, in the hall of the Burgas Opera House, will be with tickets, which are sold at the box office of the Opera House and the "Chasovnika" box office ".