Dancing of Diversity
Following the successful last year’s season characterised by a variety that brought us a number of changes and new decisions, the forthcoming season of the Rijeka Theatre Ballet continues to be guided by the idea of diversity. Even more determined and confident of the diversity of work, artistic styles and ballet genres, by our dancing of diversity we would like to strengthen, develop and consolidate the position and activity of the Rijeka Ballet Ensemble.
Having chosen different artistic projects, we re bringing a number of co-operative projects in the coming season. We are beginning the ballet season with the premiere of 4 Boleros with four choreographic handwritings, then Serenade & Allegro as a product of a fruitful co-operation of the Rijeka and Split theatres, in the spring, as part of the 30th Music Biennale Zagreb, presenting the music-ballet co-operation to bear the fruit of the Hero is Tired/ Heroj je umoran performance, while at the very end of the season the performance Pulcinella, Apollo will be presenting two neoclassical handwritings of young European choreographers to the music of Igor Stravinsky. It is in the encounter with the other and the different that we can try out and test the flexibility of the Ballet Ensemble ready for creation, innovation and, eventually, for the ensemble artistic identity and attitude. Led by the idea of culture that is accessible to all and with a variety of our programme, we would like to encourage the development of knowledge, acquaintance with different artistic sensibilities, but also the development of a greater appetite with the already existing audience, namely, in this way to attract the new one as well.
The evening of 4 Boleros that we could also call the evening of diversity, is presenting four compositions inspired by the bolero music and dance form. Four different pieces, that is, four different boleros that vary from the Chopin romantic one to the contemporary Laboš electronic style, are starting points of choreographic investigations of the invited choreographers and the Rijeka ballet ensemble.
Marking the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth, Rijeka wishes to honour the inspirational musician and charismatic man by two new choreographies of Maša Kolar and Igor Kirov. The 100th anniversary is a special occasion for the two national theatres to cooperate, that from Rijeka and Split, and for both ballet ensembles to work together.
In the spring of 2019, the CNT Ivan pl. Zajc Ballet will have the opportunity to take part of the 30th Music Biennale Zagreb that has invited two recent artists, composer Frano Đurović from Croatia and choreographer Guiseppe Spota from Italy, with the idea to encourage dialogue among artists of different cultures, also to promote artistic diversities.
Eventually, after a long time, the Ballet ensemble dances again to the music performed by the Rijeka Opera Orchestra. The occasion for this are two neoclassical works by Igor Stravinsky, Pulcinella and Apollo, as well as two European choreographers of the new generation of neoclassical ballet, Giovanni di Palma and Martin Chaix. The Pulcinella ballet had its revived premiere in 2017 in São Paulo, 100 years after it had been first premiered by the famous ballet ensemble Ballets Russes. Having delighted the critics and the audience throughout South America and Europe, this performance presents the opportunity for the Rijeka Ballet ensemble to show and prove their readiness to follow the biggest world challenges of the contemporary ballet art.
It is within the Koreo-lab project that members of the Rijeka Ballet will be able to find and express their own artistic language, showing the Rijeka audience through performing nights what the direction of their development is. On the other hand, the KamovDANCE/ KamovPLES workshops enable children and the young to become acquainted with the activities of our ensemble by ballet pedagogues who will be teaching them new dance steps, which, hopefully, will take them further into the world of dance and ballet. Engaging in ballet, but also other artistic programmes of the national theatre, through professional workshops and teaching programmes, the ensemble is able to reach the level of excellence, i.e., raise the standard of forming artistic programme by inviting distinguished key Croatian and world artists. This means being able to recognise new, innovative and creative artists, also the readiness and wish to work to the highest artistic standards
Maša Kolar, Ballet Company director
