Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
It’s the eighth time the Bolshoi Theatre in Minsk holds a New Year's ball which will traditionally take place on the night of the 13th /14th January. For seven consecutive seasons the Big Ball has been the hallmark of the rich cultural life of the city and has acquired the reputation of a prestigious and respectable event.
The Belarusian Bolshoi Theatre was the first in our country to have organized such a large-scale theatrical ball on a professional level. The idea of the ball at the Bolshoi Theatre was put forward in 2009. The authors of the concept found a formula which eventually proved to be successful and still holds. It is a system of three balls, the Princely, Russian and Viennese ones, between which the audience is offered a variety of secular entertainments.
The occasion will be officially opened with the Russian Ball. First, the novices who have attended dance classes for several months will dance the polonaise, contradance, and the waltz, followed by the skilled dancers presenting a programme which will be more complicated in respect to the technical aspect. In total, the participants will perform nine dances. The participants are preparing a special programme for the Viennese Ball which will base on Strauss’ waltzes. The Russian and Viennese Balls will be accompanied by the orchestra under the baton of Ivan Kostyakhin and Oleg Lesun. The guests will also attend the Princely Ball.
The main components of every ball are dances, music, poetry, pranks, jokes and the secrets of the masquerade. Therefore, the guests of the ball will enjoy a lot of amazing entertainments. After the Russian Ball a concert-surprise will be given on the big stage, accompanied by the theatre’s symphony orchestra under the direction of maestro Andrey Galanov. The spectators will have a chance to take part in the carnival of masks to the music by Bernstein and Offenbach. The Neon Show artists will present an unusual acrobatic performance to modern arrangements of classical music. Those who like magic tricks will certainly like the show "Micromagic". The poets of the "Golden Age" will entertain the audience with great literary delights. Caricaturists will work in the lobby all night. The mini-orchestras Gloria and Serenada will play music in the foyer during the whole ball.
Musical salons in the Chamber Hall of the theatre will be running in parallel with the Russian and Viennese Balls, and almost without intermission. This year the Chamber Hall will present three concerts and a poetry quiz. The first concert, called "Opera Laughs", will be a kind of theatrical skit comprising lots of musical jokes and puns. The next concert at the Chamber Hall, classical “Blue Light”, will feature opera soloists performing familiar childhood songs, such as “It’s Snowing”, “Winter”, “Black Cat”, as well as the hits from the famous films “The Carnival Night”, “Magicians”, etc. The authors of the third show concert will tells a story which happens on New Year's eve in a cosy lounge of the airport where passengers are stuck in a snow storm, and they are not bored, but enjoy jazz music.
The guests of the ball will watch or take part in a traditional poetry contest. Three best poems will be selected from all those dedicated to the Bolshoi Theatre and written by spectators beforehand, and their authors will receive prizes. Alexander Pushkin himself will attend the competition, and the most intelligent spectators will be awarded for the correct answers in the poetry quiz.
An essential requirement of the Big Ball is to comply with the dress code: ladies must wear long-skirted evening gowns, and gentlemen must be attired in a suit or tuxedo.
