Ballet To The People is no fan of galas, but here is one that sounds irresistible.
For over 100 years, the medieval Olavinlinna (St. Olaf’s Castle) in an idyllic lake setting in the southeast of Finland has been home to the famous Savonlinna Opera Festival. An awe-inspiring venue for opera, Olavinlinna now also hosts a summer ballet intensive taught by teachers from the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg – just a quick hop across the Russian border – and a gala featuring a handful of stars from Russian and European ballet companies.
Surely the irony is not lost on the organizers, for back when Sweden ruled Finland, this imposing medieval fortress helped protect the Finnish border against incursions by Russia. Today, relations between the two countries are considerably less frosty, and Russia proudly exports a potent, universally-admired asset (even as scandals rock the Russian ballet companies at home).
Iana Salenko. (Photo: Vladimir Cherenkov)
Organized by the St. Petersburg-based authority on galas known as Dance Open, Summer Night Stars at Olavinlinna will feature Denis and Anastasia Matvienko and Anastasia Kolegova from the Mariinsky Ballet, Irina Perren, Leonid Sarafanov, Sabina Yapparova and Marat Shemiunov from the Mikhailovsky Ballet, Yonah Acosta from the English National Ballet, Dinu Tamazlacaru and Iana Salenko from the Staatsballett Berlin, Lucia Lacara and Marlon Dino from the Bavarian State Ballet, Anna Tsygankova and Matthew Golding from the Dutch National Ballet.
Denis Matvienko. (Photo: Stas Levshin)
A performance by advanced Finnish and Russian students enrolled in the Vaganova master classes will take place on July 13th – a chance for balletomanes to scout for future talent – followed by the high-wattage international-star-studded gala on July 14th.
Anastasia Kolegova (Photo: Stas Levshin)
No word on the choreographers to be represented but even if they trot out the usual war-horses, Olavinlinna promises to serve as an unusual and stunning backdrop. As theatres around the globe have felt compelled to modernize, it is a rare treat to be able to watch snippets of the classics performed in a fairy-tale 15th century castle on a lake.
Superb Gala! Looking forward.