Nazira Zayetova in Sabre Dance from Gayane

Nazira Zayetova (Назира Заетова) in Sabre Dance from Gayane. Music by Aram Khachaturian, choreography by Nina Anisimova. Shot on 22.5.2016, Astana Opera Ballet Gala.

Check out all galleries from 22.5.2016 Astana Opera Ballet Gala

Check out all galleries from 22.5.2016 Astana Opera Ballet Gala

Gayane is a four-act ballet with music by Aram Khachaturian. Originally composed in 1941–42 to a libretto by Konstantin Derzhavin and with choreography by Nina Aleksandrovna Anisimova (Derzhavin’s wife), the score was revised in 1952 and in 1957, with a new plot. The first performance took place on 9 December 1942, staged by the Kirov Ballet while in Perm (Russia) during the Second World War evacuation, and was broadcast on the radio.  The most famous parts of the ballet are the Sabre Dance, which has been covered by many pop artists, and the Adagio, which featured prominently in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Khachaturian’s original Gayane was the story of a young Armenian woman whose patriotic convictions conflict with her personal feelings on discovering her husband’s treason. In later years the plot was modified several times, the resultant story emphasizing romance over nationalistic zeal.

Photos by Jack Devant Ballet Photography with kind permission of the Astana Opera, special thanks to Assel Nakupova and Yekaterina Romanova.