Our ballet dancers enjoyed loud applause and “Bravo!” shouts after the first performance of the ballet “La Bayadere” by Ludwig Minkus.

On the 14th of February, Croatian ballet star Guilherme Alves performed the role of Solor and Marta Petkova: that of Nikia while Boryana Petrova made an exceptional debut in the role of princess Gamzatti. Other debuts included Matthew Whittle in the role of the Great Brahmin, Anna Gicheva as the Water carrier and Samuel Pereira as Magedavea.

Also starring: Rumen Bonev, Simeon Atanasov, Kristina Tchochanova, Francesco Congiusti, Vincenzo Caruana, Vyara Ivancheva, Maria Yordanova, Agnes Keele and Sofia Opera lead ballet dancers and corps de ballet.

Students from the National Dance Art School participated in both performances, with pedagogues and tutors Yana Marinova, Yoanna Stoyanova and Lora Bosnakova.

“La Bayadere” is performed following Marius Petipa’s choreography. Pavel Stalinskiy created the complete original version of the piece for the Sofia Opera in 2012. Ballet tutors: Yasen Valchanov, Maria Ilieva, Trifon Mitev, Katya Petrovska, Ivanka Kasabova, Georgi Asparuhov.

Conductor: Grigor Palikarov.