XV Moscow International Ballet Competition to Open at the Bolshoi Theatre with the Mariinsky Ballet in The Legend of Love
On 25 June, the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre will host the opening ceremony of the XV Moscow International Ballet Competition, one of the most influential competitions in the ballet world. The Mariinsky Theatre will present Arif Melikov’s landmark ballet The Legend of Love, choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich. This year’s Competition honours the legendary choreographer who served for more than fifty years as its permanent Artistic Director and Chairman of the Jury. The Competition will take place at the Bolshoi Theatre from 25 June to 5 July.
The leading roles will be performed by a distinguished Mariinsky Ballet cast: People’s Artist of Russia and prima ballerina Viktoria Tereshkina as Mekhmeneh Bahnu, prima ballerina Renata Shakirova as Shyrin, principal dancer Kimin Kim as Ferkhad, and first soloist Roman Belyakov as the Vizier.
The Legend of Love was the second ballet created at the Mariinsky Theatre — then the S. M. Kirov Theatre — by the young Leningrad choreographer Yuri Grigorovich. It was the work that changed both his own destiny and the course of Soviet ballet. For Grigorovich, the symphonic sweep and dramatic tension of Arif Melikov’s score were essential. In this ballet, dance does not stand apart from pantomime, nor classical dance from character dance. The choreography rests entirely on classical foundations, yet it has a strikingly individual colour, refracting the plastic motifs of Persian miniatures. The ballet premiered at the Kirov Theatre in 1961 and came to the Bolshoi Theatre in 1965. Since then, The Legend of Love — one of Grigorovich’s finest ballets — has never been absent for long from the repertoires of either theatre.
The International Ballet Competition was founded in 1969 on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. The first Competition became a true celebration for professionals and for the many admirers of ballet. The global influence of the Russian ballet school, the authority of the Competition’s founders, and the magic of one of the world’s great stages established the event as a central international ballet competition. Held every four years, it has become a point of departure for brilliant careers among young dancers and choreographers, while its highest laureate titles open the doors to the world’s leading theatres.
This year, the Competition received 362 applications from 35 countries. As in previous editions, contestants will compete in two age categories: junior, for dancers up to 19 years of age, and senior, for dancers up to 27. A jury of leading figures in world ballet will assess their artistry. The Jury will be chaired by People’s Artist of Russia and Bolshoi Theatre prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova.
The Competition was established by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and is organised by the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Culture ROSCONCERT.
