On August 12th, in Buryatia (5,500 km from Moscow), spectators could witness a stunning show: ballet performances with the background of Lake Baikal. This impressive performance was part of the ‘Baikal Dance Festival’.
‘Ballet on the water’ can be seen here for the second year, although the event itself has existed for six years already.
Its initiator was the Buryat Opera and Ballet Theater. With this initiative, the theater aimed to draw the attention of the public to environmental threats, particularly the danger of polluting the unique lake with microplastics.
The stage was set right on the lake’s shore and the decoration for the performance was Lake Baikal itself. The ballet program of the festival included excerpts from ballets ‘Le Corsaire’ and ‘The Beautiful Angara River’, contemporary choreography and much more. The soloists from the Mariinsky Theater, the Music Theater of Karelia, the Perm and Astrakhan Theaters all came to Buryatia to participate in the festival.
At sunset, the audience was treated to a truly fantastic spectacle. Fourteen ballerinas danced an excerpt from the ballet ‘Swan Lake’.
As part of the festival, there were also photo exhibitions dedicated to ecological problems, master classes and eco-quests.
Dmitry Dalykov, the director of the Buryat Opera and Ballet Theater, said that the organizers hope to make the event international. If circumstances are favorable, foreign performers can be seen there as early as in 2024.
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