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Kings of the Dance
8 and 9 October

“The Mikhailovsky Theatre is becoming a real ‘home for kings’”, says Sergey Danilian, Creative Director and Producer of the international project Kings of the Dance, “This is the second time the theatre has lent its stage for performances by the world’s leading dancers.”



This is a unique opportunity to see the combined work of the best performers from different countries on one stage, to appreciate male dance in its most perfect form, to revel in its expressiveness and beauty – the reason for the phenomenal popularity of the Kings. The project, which originated in 2006 on the initiative of dancers Ethan Stiefel and Angel Corella, has toured the world with great success. This year the project is marking its fifth anniversary with a new programme entitled Opus 3. For the first time in the Kings’ existence the world premiere of the project’s new programme will take place in Russia.

The cast of Kings changes from season to season This year’s participants include Marcelo Gomes (American Ballet Theatre), David Hallberg (Bolshoy Theatre), Guillaume Côté (National Ballet of Canada), Ivan Vasiliev (Bolshoi Theatre), Denis Matviyenko (Mariinsky Theatre), and Leonid Sarafanov (Mikhailovsky Theatre).

Sergey Danilian: “Over these five years the Kings of the Dance project has become a real creative laboratory. For male dancers it is a creative workshop where they receive the priceless experience of working with great choreographers and can sometimes even test their own abilities as directors of dance. But in our case creativity does not run counter to audience appeal. First and foremost, we think about the viewers, who want to receive pleasure from the dance. We demand the most out of each component of the programme, beginning with the selection of the music. No one in the audience will be disappointed.”

Choreographers Mauro Bigonzetti, Nacho Duato, Jorma Elo, Edward Clug, and Patrick de Bana have taken part in the creation of Kings of the Dance: Opus 3. Dancer Marcelo Gomes has also participated as a choreographer, setting a new work to the music of his colleague Guillaume Côté. David Hallberg has designed the costumes for this production. The well-known Russian designer Igor Chapurin has continued his collaboration with Mauro Bigonzetti and has designed the costumes for the five dancers appearing in his production.

Purchase tickets to the perfomances on 8 and 9 October