On May 13th, I went with the majority of the group to see the Carmen Suite at the Almaty Theater. We had all seen the ballet Giselle in Astana, snowy northern capital of Kazakhstan, during our trip there earlier in the term. Having been completely captivated by the talent of the dancers, the set design, and the story, we were ecstatic when we got the opportunity to see another ballet back “home” in Almaty.
The day of the show, Grace and I took a taxi down Al Farabi, a bustling and traffic prone street that runs diagonally through Almaty. We arrived quite early, as we were worried about getting stuck in traffic. When we arrived at the Almaty Theater, we were glad to have arrived with extra time because of the beauty of the theater and surrounding lands. The theater is sandwiched between two green spaces with benches and paths for meandering. In front of the entrance is a modern fountain that sprays water up from the ground. The building itself also has a modern feel. The building’s large walls of windows combined with its organic shape and beige exterior give it a clean and bright appearance. Its modern feel is almost reminiscent of the construction style in Astana, but at a more moderate level.
Having only opened its doors at the beginning of 2022, it makes sense that this building feels pristine and not quite settled in with the surrounding architecture.
Grace and I took a few pictures outside of the theater and then met up with Zoe, who was relaxing on a bench in the green space.
Inside the theater, it was clear that attending the ballet was an occasion to dress up for. The entrance hall was full of people in beautiful dresses and suits. There were small round tables covered with fruits and cheese, complete with toothpicks for high end snacking, and waiters walking around offering wine and mineral water in glass bottles. The hall was brightly lit and open with large posters of the ballet’s playbill for the guests to take pictures with.
After ogling at how fancy it all was, Zoe, Grace, and I went upstairs to explore. The second floor seemed more like an art gallery than a theater lounge. There were pictures of dancers, both photographs and paintings, on the walls and set up on wooden stands around the hall. The majority of the pictured dancers were wearing some form of altered Kazakh national costume. This was interesting to see, because the rest of the building showed little to no traditional Kazakh motifs. One of the most interesting parts of Almaty is the fusion between Soviet and Modern art styles with decorative and stylistic elements of traditional Kazakh culture and art. An example of this theme is the Almaty metro system, where Kazakh art is used to decorate the stations.
After hearing the chimes signaling that the show would start in ten minutes, we headed into the auditorium. The performance was a special combination of both a neoclassical ballet piece called Serenade and the Carmen Suite. Written by George Blanchine, the Serenade was much different from what we had seen in Astana. With minimal costumes and emphasis on group work, rather than individual dancers, the piece captivated its audience through technique rather than plot line. Admittedly, the lack of plot was difficult to get behind at first, but became more understandable as the dance went on. After intermission, we filed back into the theater for a theatrical and dramatic performance of the Carmen Suite, featuring Diana Vishneva. The dance was dramatic, romantic, and completely different from the Serenade we had just watched. Both pieces were beautifully done.
Although the ballet company was on tour from Astana, the theater itself says a great deal about official contemporary art in Almaty. While we have seen many performances by more experimental theaters, namely ArtиШок, this theater is simply a larger venue and for lack of more sophisticated words, fancier. The touring artists, the impressive building, and the classy modernity of it all, felt more like something that we would have witnessed in Astana than what we have come to expect in Almaty. This new theater seems to me to be making a statement about the value of the performing arts in the Almaty of the future and the interplay between modern fine arts and traditional culture. After the show, we all left the theater feeling inspired and glad to have seen the shows. It was a lovely evening out in the city and a wonderful end to week 7 of our semester here in Almaty.
