Anyuta

On 8 and 9 December the Mariinsky Theatre's historic stage hosted the premiere of the ballet Anyuta. The plot of Anton Chekhov's short story Anna on the Neck has come to life in a choreographic realization, co-created by Vladimir Vasiliev.
The Anyuta ballet first captivated audiences not in a theatre but on television, marking a unique biography as it was perhaps the only ballet in history to transition from screen to stage. The teleballet's concept originated from Leningrad director and screenwriter Alexander Belinsky, who proposed the idea to Vladimir Vasiliev to choreograph and co-direct. Their collaboration began with selecting various compositions by Valery Gavrilin for the teleballet and developing its script. Filming took place at "Lentelefilm", involving Leningrad artists from the Leningrad Academic Maly Opera Theatre (MALEGOT), several soloists from the Kirov Theatre, and the astonishing Ekaterina Maximova in the leading role. This teleballet, tailored for and around her, premiered in 1982 immediately winning popularity and love from viewers, earning numerous awards and prizes, and was showcased in various countries. Upon seeing the teleballet on Italian television the director of Naples' San Carlo Theatre suggested Vasiliev adapt it for the theatrical stage. The transformation of Anyuta into a stage version required extensive work: the script was revised, Gavrilin's music was added, and new scenes emerged. However, the essence of the ballet remained the same in the stage version: a lyrical and dramatic action expressed through choreography where each mise-en-scène and every movement are dramatically motivated. The performers are expected to demonstrate not only dancing technique but also high acting skills.
The world premiere of the ballet took place in Italy in 1986 achieving tremendous success, which was soon replicated at the Bolshoi Theatre and subsequently in many theatres across Russia and abroad. Today, over a dozen Russian cities and the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus boast their own productions of Anyuta.
In Saint Petersburg this ballet, long since a classic, was staged for the first time finally returning to its alma mater at the historic stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. "I believe it is important for ballet artists to have the opportunity to engage with Chekhov and Gavrilin on stage, to personally feel and convey to the audience the exquisitely subtle sensation of goodness and beauty inherent in these authors," notes Vladimir Vasiliev.