June 22 and 23, 2019, will see the performance of Svetlana Zakharova’s program MODANSE of two one-act ballets: Like Breath and the premiere of Gabrielle Chanel at the Bolshoi Theatre.
The two-act ballet Like Breath to Handel music, which premiered at the La Scala Theater in 2017, was adapted by its Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti for the current program of Svetlana Zakharova.
The ballet Gabrielle Chanel was directed and written by Alexey Frandetti from Russia. Russian choreographer Yuri Posokhov and composer Ilya Demutsky created a saga about the life and work of the fashion queen, Coco Chanel. Prima Svetlana Zakharova performs the lead. The premiere shows will take place on June 22 and 23 and for now the rehearsals are in full swing.
The ballet tells about the way Gabrielle Chanel made from a saleswoman in a clothing store and an unknown provincial cabaret singer to the head of one of the most influential fashion houses in the world.
The ballet Gabrielle Chanel was created from scratch, when the music, costumes, scenery, and dance are all designed for a specific project. This is exactly what happened with the new stage production of Yuri Posokhov about Gabrielle Chanel. Svetlana Zakharova, who has fallen under the spell of Coco Chanel, is dancing the part of the great Mademoiselle.
“There was the first transformation that took place in Paris before the poster photo session, when I had my makeup and hair done like hers, and I put on her costume and saw Chanel in the mirror. Honestly, I even started to get there inside with the movements,” - Svetlana Zakharova, the prima ballerina of the Bolshoi ballet troupe said.
The ballet was supported by the Chanel fashion house that made eighty-five stage costumes for the performance.
“The costumes that will be provided reflect the epoch and time which Gabrielle Chanel worked in”, - producer Yuri Baranov pointed out.
To understand and feel her character’s part, Svetlana Zakharova did not only read numerous biographies of Coco Chanel and watched films, visited her apartment and the place where her jewelry collection, costumes, shoes, and spirits are kept.
“I penetrated into her mood, her image. I can’t say that this Mademoiselle came easy to me… She was very sociable and kind, she was friends with Sergey Diaghilev and helped “Russian Seasons” a lot, she loved Russian ballet, Russian people, and she adored Russian fashion models. Those aristocratic women, who had to leave this country, worked for her and created incredibly beautiful things. My task now is to dance the image with all her emotions, struggles and loneliness, as I feel it. This little woman who was above all...” - Svetlana Zakharova told.
“Just imagine, Coco Chanel and Svetlana Zakharova. It is definitely daring. It is wonderful. Daring is always necessary, especially in art. Without impudence, there is no development, no movement,” - Mahar Vaziev, the head of the Bolshoi Theatre ballet troupe, emphasized.
The new ballet about the fashion queen will be performed not only on Historical Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre, but also in Paris, the city that cherishes the memory of the legendary Frenchwoman.
Author: Vera Ivanova