A unique show of the ballet "Two Annas" will be held in Minsk - stars of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus

On November 6, the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus will host the only show of the ballet performance “Two Annas”. This is a story in a dance about two legends of the twentieth century – Anna Akhmatova and Anna Pavlova.

Project and premiere: how the ballet “Two Annas” appeared

The performance "Two Annas" was created as part of a joint project of the production company MuzArts and the International Art Festival "Dyagilev P.S." The premiere of the production took place in February 2025 at the Bolshoi Drama Theatre named after G. A. Tovstonogov in St. Petersburg and subsequently became one of the most notable events in the cultural life of the two capitals - Moscow and St. Petersburg.

What the play is about: an emotional focus instead of a biography

In the center of the ballet are the fates of two iconic figures of the Silver Age: poetess Anna Akhmatova and ballerina Anna Pavlova. The performance consists of two parts, each of which has a special atmosphere and artistic language. The authors did not set themselves the task of scrupulously following the facts of the biography: they were interested primarily in the emotional response to the fate of the heroines, the disclosure of their emotional experiences, as well as the dramatic choice that both women made between personal happiness and service to the arts.

Two Akhmatovs: Dance and Word in One Role

In the part put by Yuri Posokhov, the image of Akhmatova is revealed in many layers: two of her hypostases appear at once before the viewer. The dance embodiment of the poet’s fate is entrusted to the prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia Eleanor Sevenard, while the poetic word sounds in the performance of BDT actress Polina Malikova. The storyline is centered around Akhmatova’s relationship with two men important to her – her husband, poet Nikolai Gumilev, and artist Amedeo Modigliani.

"Pavlova": meetings that changed the era

The second part, Pavlova, was created by choreographer Pavel Glukhov and is dedicated to the key meetings of the ballerina – those people without whom it is impossible to imagine her life and creative path. The play reflects her connections with Chechetti, Dandre, Vertinsky, Chaplin and other outstanding contemporaries.

Particular expressiveness of the production is given by costumes created by designer Svetlana Tegin. Based on the aesthetics of the Silver Age, the author managed to develop images that not only convey the spirit of the era, but also subtly emphasize the individuality of both heroines, organically complementing the overall artistic concept of the play.

Recognized masters will perform on the stage: soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia - Eleanor Sevenard, Anastasia Stashkevich, Elizaveta Kokoreva, Vyacheslav Lopatin, Alexey Putintsev, Ulyana Moksheva, as well as the famous dancer Ildar Gainutdinov and actress BDT Polina Malikova.

The creative team of the project consisted of prominent artists: libretto author and director Felix Mikhailov, choreographers Yuri Posokhov and Pavel Glukhov, composer Ilya Demutsky, set designer Maria Tregubova, costume designer Svetlana Tegin, video artist Ilya Starilov and lighting artist Ivan Vinogradov.

On the play:

“It is not just a ballet, it is a work that combines poetry, music, theater and dance. Such a synthesis of arts does not happen every day, and not every director will decide on such a bold experiment. This is a wonderful show that I recommend everyone to watch. Everything is beautiful here: music, plastics, scenery, costumes, directing. I am happy that in our difficult time there are such wonderful works of art! – Alexander Velikovsky, musicologist.

I caught myself thinking that because I was watching the premiere without knowing the piece, I wanted to have fun. And I would like to say what I liked. Not as a critic or an artist, but as a spectator with a very long experience. I liked the idea of dividing Anna Pavlova’s part between several performers, and the fact that each Pavlova has a duet-meeting with a hero who really existed both in the life of art and in the life of the real Anna Pavlova. I would like to note that these are people who have had a tremendous influence on the entire course of world cultural history. The main character was performed by my student Eleanor Sevenard. I think this is one of her most successful works. She looked great in this role, and the performance was “to her face”. Most of all, I liked her duet with Alexei Putintsev, the performer of the role of Modigliani. From my point of view, Alexey is one of the most interesting dancers today. God gave this guy an extraordinary plastic gift. The duet they performed with Eleanor is aerobatics – Nikolai Tsiskaridze, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, Rector of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.

Photo: Bolshoi Theatre Minsk