Chinara Alizade and Alexander Smoliyaninov in The Talisman

Chinara Alizade and Alexander Smoliyaninov (both with Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow) in The Talisman pas de deux, music by Riccardo Drigo, choreography Marius Petipa. Russian Ballet Festival Lahti 2013.

Chinara Alizade was born in Moscow. In 1995 she entered the Dance Academy of the New Humanitarian University of Natalia Nesterova (N. Trishina’s class). In 1999 she continued her studies at Moscow State Choreographic Academy (class of Natalia Archipova, Ludmila Litavkina). In 2005 she won the 1st prize (junior group) at the International competition of ballet dancers and choreographers in Moscow and was invited to join the Ballet company of the Bolshoi Theatre where she made her debut in the part of Swan/Four swans in P. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Her teacher-repetiteur is Marina Kondratyeva. Chinara is currently soloist in Bolshoi Theatre.

Alexander Smoliyaninov is ballet dancer with Bolshoi Theatre.

The Talisman (Le Talisman or Il Talismano) – Fantastic ballet in 4 Acts-7 Scenes, with choreography by Marius Petipa, and music by Riccardo Drigo. Libretto by Konstantin Augustovich Tarnovsky and Marius Petipa. First performance on February 6 1889 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Principal Dancers – Elena Cornalba (as Niriti, daughter of the Queen of the Gods), Enrico Cecchetti (as Vayou, the Wind God), and Pavel Gerdt (as Noureddin).

In 1955 the Balletmaster Pyotr Gusev of the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet (the former Imperial Ballet) compiled various pieces of music from Petipa’s The Talisman and created what is known today as The Talisman Pas de Deux, which in recent times has been included in the repertory of many ballet companies around the world. The Talsiman Pas de Deux includes music from another composer as well – the male variation was taken by Gusev from Cesare Pugni’s score for Petipa’s The Pharaoh’s Daughter, which is still included in the Pas de Deux today. /Wikipedia/

Photos by Jack Devant © with kind permission of the Russian Ballet Festival 2013, special thanks to Natalia Nefedova.