Description of the attraction
A unique and surprisingly striking phenomenon in the theatrical and cultural life of St. Petersburg, in the history of Russian art, is the creation of the State Academic Ballet Theater named after L. Yakobson.
The ballet theater became the first of its kind in the USSR. The troupe was headed in 1966 by the famous choreographer and dancer Pyotr Gusev. Following him in 1969, the theater was headed by the Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR Leonid Veniaminovich Yakobson. L. Jacobson was by nature a seeker and innovator. In his younger years, he did not accept classical dance, becoming a master, he turned to the traditions of refined dance plasticity in ballet. L. Yakobson is an unsurpassed master of ballet miniature productions. In large performances L. Yakobson successfully conveyed the spirit of both modernity and the distant past.
L. Yakobson's successor was in 1976 his friend and associate Askold Makarov, whose talent as a dancer was appreciated all over the world. A. Makarov, continuing the tradition of Yakobson, turned to other stage directors striving for innovation in the art of ballet. In different years, Laszlo Sheregi, Konstantin Rassadin, Georgy Aleksidze, Anne Hutchinson, Leonid Lebedev, Natalia Volkova, Alexander Polubentsev, Ditmar Seifert worked at the ballet theater.
Today the theater continues to follow the traditions of L. Yakobson, preserving classical performances in its repertoire, and keeps pace with modernity. The creative team of the ballet theater performs with great success on the stages of the Mikhailovsky, Alexandrinsky, Hermitage theaters, more than once presented their performances on the stages of the theaters of the Musical Comedy and the Conservatory.
After Askold Makarov passed away in 2001, the theater was headed by Yuri Petukhov, People's Artist of Russia, laureate of the State Prize of Russia and international competitions. M. P. Mussorgsky. He is an internationally renowned dancer who has performed more than 40 leading roles and is a brilliant choreographer.
In 2007, the theater staged the ballet "Yesenin", dedicated to the personality of the poet, his life. It tells the story of a revolution, a change in political systems, eras.
With the arrival of Yu. Petukhov, the theater turned to the genre of synthetic performance, when several directions of art are combined on the stage, for example, in parallel with the choreographic plot, there is a dramatic plot.
In 2009 the troupe staged the ballet "Spartacus" again, which has become a real legend.
On the basis of the ballet theater, the All-Russian dance festival "Alternative" is regularly held, presenting the public with the newest and most daring choreographic works. In 2010, within the framework of the festival, a new nomination "Jacobson's Experiment" appeared. In 2011, the festival program included a composers' competition for the first time.
On the stage of the theater. L. Yakobson, novice choreographers have the opportunity to present their performances to the public.
In early 2011, Honored Artist of Russia Andrian Fadeev was commissioned to become the artistic director of the theater. To mark the 40th anniversary of the premiere of the very first performance, evenings dedicated to the return of masterpieces - miniatures by L. Yakobson were held on the stages of the Conservatory Theater and the Musical Comedy. The performances consisted of three parts: "Sculptures by Rodin", "Classicism", "Genre Sketches".
The ballet theater today cherishes the heritage of the great master, whose name it bears. The plans include the restoration of L. Yakobson's repertoire and the continuation of his traditions of searching for something new in the contemporary art of ballet.
