06 May 2008

Dance in Expectation of its "Benois"

Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography
Benois Centre
The Bolshoi Theatre
present

INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL BENOIS DE LA DANSE
XVI Award Ceremony BENOIS DE LA DANSE PRIZE

On 6 May, the winners will be announced and the award-giving ceremony will take place, 
to be followed by a gala (charity) concert given by the Benois de la Danse prize-winners.

The next day, 7 May, the award-winners will be joined by their colleagues
who won prizes in previous years. 

President of the Benois de la Danse Project — Yuri Grigorovich
General Director — Regina Nikifirova
Artistic Director — Nina Kudryavtseva-Loory

Benois de la Danse-2008 Jury members 
Yuri Grigorovich (Chairman)
Loipa Araujo (Principal Teacher and Ballet Mistress of the Cuban National Ballet) 
Julio Bocca (Artistic Director of Ballet Argentino and Teatro Maipo; Head of Julio Bocca Foundation) 
Boris Eifman (Founder and Artistic Director of the St.Petersburg Academic Boris Eifman Ballet Theatre)
Alessandra Ferri (Prima Ballerina, Italy) 
Asami Maki (Artistic Director of the New National Theatre Ballet, Tokyo; Director of the Training Programme for Ballet Dancers; Principal of the New National Theatre Ballet School)
William Whitener (Artistic Director of the Kansas City Ballet, USA)

“Benois de la danse”-2008 nominees

Dancers
Paris National Opera 
Eleonora Abbagnato
Albertine, Proust ou les intermittences du Coeur
to music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Claude Debussy, Gabriel Faure, Cesar Franck, 
Reynaldo Hahn, Camille Saint-Saens, Richard Wagner
choreography by Roland Petit

Hamburg Ballet
Silvia Azzoni
Title part in Lera Auerbach’s The Little Mermaid
choreography by John Neumeier

American Ballet Theatre/ABT (New York City)
Jillian Murphy
Titania in The Dream
to music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy/
John Lanchbery’s arrangement
choreography by Frederick Ashton

Tamara Rojo 
Royal Ballet (Great Britain) 
Pas de Deux from Cesare Pugni’s Esmeralda
choreography Nikolai Beryozov
Pas de deux from Carmen
to music by Georges Bizet
choreography by Roland Petit
Gala performance in Naples, Italy 

Ballet Argentino, Buenos Aires
Cecilia Figaredo 
Lucia in Adios, Hermano Cruel
to music by Lito Vitale 
choreography by Ana Maria Stekelman

Carlos Acosta
Royal Ballet (Great Britain) 
Title part in Aram Khachaturian’s Spartacus
choreography by Yuri Grigorovich 
Performance at the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia

American Ballet Theatre/ABT (New York City)
Marcelo Gomes
The principal male part in C to (Close to Chuck)
to music by Philip Glass
choreography by Jorma Elo 
Title role in Elliot Goldenthal’s Othello 
choreography by Lar Lubovich

Denis Matvienko
Mikhailovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre (Saint-Petersburg)
Armand Duval in La Dame aux Camelias
to music by Hector Berlioz
choreography by Asami Maki
Performance at the New National Theatre (Tokyo)

Ballet Argentino, Buenos Aires
Lucas Oliva
Franko in Adios, Hermano Cruel
to music by Lito Vitale 
choreography by Ana Maria Stekelman

Boris Eifman State Academic Ballet Theatre 
Yuri Smekalov
Trigorin in Seagull
to music by Sergei Rakhmaninov 
choreography by Boris Eifman

Choreographers
David Bintley
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Carl Davis’ Cyrano 

Jean-Christophe Maillot
Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo (Monaco)
Faust
to music by Franz Liszt, Bernard Maillot

Kirk Peterson
Alberta Ballet (Calgary, Canada)
Othello
to music by Jerry Goldsmith

Ana Maria Stekelman
Ballet Argentino, Buenos Aires
Adios, Hermano Cruel
to music by Lito Vitale 

May 6
Charity gala of the nominees to the prize-2008

Masters of the ceremony — Yulia Rutberg, Sviatoslav Belza
In the memory of Natalia Bessmertnova — Andrei Zolotov
Director of the ceremony — Andrei Melanyin

Karl Orff 
Seminarian’s solo from Carmina Burana
Choreography by David Bintley — Benois de la danse-2008 nominee
Akimutsu Yahata (New National Theatre Tokyo)

Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Pas de deux du baiser from La Belle
Choreography by Jean Christophe Maillot — Benois de la danse-2008 nominee
Bernice Coppieters, Chris Roelandt (Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo)

Jerry Goldsmith
Iago’s solo from Othello
Choreography by Kirk Peterson — Benois de la danse-2008 nominee
Kelley McKinlay (Alberta Ballet)

Lito Vitale
Lucia and Marco’s pas de deux from Adios, hermano cruel
Choreography by Ana Maria Stekelman — Benois de la danse-2008 nominee
Cecilia Figaredo — Benois de la danse-2008 nominee (Ballet Argentino)
Jonatan Lujan (Ballet Argentino)

Hector Berlioz (arranged by Ermanno Florio)
Pas de deux from La Dame aux Camelias
Choreography by Asami Maki
Hana Sakai (New National Theatre Tokyo)
Denis Matvienko — Benois de la danse-2008 nominee (Mikhailovsky Theatre, St.Petersburg) 

Sergei Rakhmaninov
Trigorin’s monologue from The Seagull
Choreography by Boris Eifman — Benois de la Danse laureate
Yuri Smekalov — Benois de la danse-2008 nominee (Boris Eifman Ballet Theatre, St.Petersburg) 

Lera Auerbach
Pas de deux from The Little Mermaid
Choreography by John Neumeier — Benois de la danse laureate
Silvia Azzoni — Benois de la danse-2008 nominee (Hamburg Ballet)
Carsten Jung (Hamburg Ballet)

Elliot Goldenthal’s Othello 
choreography by Lar Lubovich
Julie Kent — Benois de la Danse laureate (American Ballet Theatre)
Marcelo Gomes — Benois de la Danse-2008 nominee (American Ballet Theatre)

Georges Bizet
’The Bedroom’ pas de deux from Carmen
Choreography by Roland Petit — Benois de la Danse laureate
Tamara Rojo — Benois de la Danse-2008 nominee (Royal Ballet, London)
Lienz Chang (National Ballet of China )

May 7
Charity Gala
Stars of Benois de la danse — laureates of different years

Stage managers — Andrei Melanyin, Vladimir Tsherbakov, Irina Zibrova

Evgeny Glebov
Adagio from The legend of Ulenspiegel
Choreography by Valentin Yelizariev — Benois de la Danse laureate
Olga Haiko (Bolshoi Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus)
Denis Klimuk (Bolshoi Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus)

Gustav Mahler
La Rose Malade
Choreography by Roland Petit — Benois de la Danse laureate
Svetlana Lunkina — Benois de la Danse laureate (Bolshoi Ballet)
Nikolai Tsiskaridze — Benois de la Danse laureate (Bolshoi Ballet)

Philip Glass
Excerpt from C. to C. (Close to Chuck)
Choreography by Jorma Elo
Julie Kent — Benois de la Danse laureate (American Ballet Theatre)
Marcelo Gomes — Benois de la Danse-2008 nominee (American Ballet Theatre)

Virgilio & Homero Exposito
Tango Naranjo en Flor
Choreography by Ana Maria Stekelman — Benois de la Danse-2008 nominee
Cecilia Figaredo — Benois de la Danse-2008 nominee (Ballet Argentino)
Jonatan Lujan (Ballet Argentino)

Arvo Part 
Pas de deux from Othello
Choreography by John Neumeier — Benois de la Danse laureate
Katja Wunsche — Benois de la Danse-2008 nominee (Stuttgart Ballet)
Jason Reilly (Stuttgart Ballet)

Alexander Glazunov
Duet from Raymonda
Choreography by Marius Petipa
Galina Stepanenko — Benois de la Danse laureate (Bolshoi Ballet)
Dayun In (Yuri Grigorovich Ballet Theatre, Krasnodar)

In the memory of Maurice Bejart — Alla Demidova

Hugues Le Bars
Arepo
Choreography by Maurice Bejart — Benois de la Danse laureate
Alessio Carbone (Paris National Opera)

Gustav Mahler
Pas de deux from The Third Symphony
Choreography by John Neumeier — Benois de la Danse laureate
Silvia Azzoni — Benois de la Danse — 2008 nominee (Hamburg Ballet)
Carsten Jung (Hamburg Ballet)

Frederic Chopin
Pas de deux from The Lady of the Camellias

Choreography by John Neumeier — Benois de la Danse laureate
Lucia Lacarra — Benois de la Danse laureate (Bavarian Ballet)
Cyril Pierre (Bavarian Ballet)

Eric Satie
Les Trois Gnosiennes
Choreography by Hans van Manen — Benois de la Danse laureate
Igone de Jongh — Benois de la Danse-2008 nominee (Het National Ballet)
Moises Martin (Het National Ballet)

Ludvig Minkus
Pas de deux from Don Quixote
Choreography by Marius Petipa
Hana Sakai (New National Theatre Tokyo)
Denis Matvienko — Benois de la Danse-2008 nominee (Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg