It takes only five hours to fly from Moscow to Dubai, but for the Russian State Ballet and Orchestra of Siberia, it took all of four weeks.
That’s the time since when the touring ballet company has been planning the logistics, assembling the 100-member team and rehearsing for its performances of the classics Giselle and Coppelia at the Dubai Opera over this weekend.
“This is a spectacular setting and our ballet dancers and the orchestra are excited to present before the audience something great,” says Sergei Bobrov, the artistic director of Raymond Gubbay in an interview with tabloid! at the Dubai Opera.
Founded in 1966 by classical music promoter and impresario Raymond Gubbay, the London-based Raymond Gubbay Limited presents more than 500 performances of popular classical music, operas and ballets every year around the world and has brought the latest productions of Giselle and Coppelia by the Russian State Ballet to Dubai.
“The production sides of both shows have been part of our repertoire for a long time. But the team has been rehearsing for nearly a month for these performances since August 15, when they all assembled after a short break,” says Bobrov.
Set to Leo Delibes’ captivating score, Coppelia is a family ballet built around the eccentric toymaker Dr Coppelius, who has built a life-sized doll.
The ballet and the orchestra will also perform Giselle, one of the greatest romantic ballets, with the score of Adolphe Adam.
The latest shows at the Dubai Opera follow its spectacular opening week that saw Placido Domingo perform on the opening night followed by the Pearl Fisher and the Barber of Seville presented by the Trieste-based Giuseppe Verdi Theatre.
Speaking of the tough rehearsal schedule that goes into the preparation of perennial classics such as Giselle, Bobrov says: “To put it simply, the team trains almost like a sports team.”
“There is a ballet class every morning in a day, which depends on the performance and show timings of the day,” explains Sergei Selivanov, the head of international touring for Raymond Gubbay. “Then there’s an hour of rehearsals. After that there’s a short break and we go into performance straight away — sometimes with two back to back performances. So if a show is scheduled at 4pm, then the team will start at 10am with the ballet class followed by rehearsals.”
Speaking about the evolution of the opera and ballet in Russia, famed as the host of the benchmark-setting Bolshoi ballet, Bobrov says technological improvements in both stagecraft and how the ballerinos and ballerinas prepare have helped augment shows considerably. “So, for instance in 1956, the typical ballet shoe offered only so much toe-room, so to say, based on the availability of materials at the time. However, thanks to new materials today, a ballet dancer’s shoes are not only more spacious, but are more durable and agile — offering the possibility of allowing a dancer to stand on her feet for three minutes and greatly enhancing the flexibility of the performance.”
While both seem visibly excited about the upcoming performances in Dubai, Bobrov fondly talks about the highlight of Siberian calendar that he and the rest of the team are looking forward to.
“In November, we will have a ballet forum of the works of [Russian composer] Sergei Prokofiev. The grand prix of the ballet competition, which takes place every two years and is considered the pinnacle of ballet competitions, will be in Siberia. Ballet dancers and students from Russia and all over the world will assemble for this prestigious competition,” he says.
DON’T MISS IT
- Coppelia shows at the Dubai Opera on Thursday, September 15, at 8pm; Saturday, September 17, at 4pm
- Giselle shows at the Dubai Opera on Friday, September 16, at 3.30pm and 8pm
