ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Ballet in two acts based on Lope de Vega's Fuente Ovejuna

Music: Alexander Krein

Choreography: Vakhtang Chabukiani

Production: Mikhail Messerer

The Mikhailovsky Theatre presents the revival of Vakhtang Chabukiani's masterpiece Laurencia, based on the play Fuente Ovejuna by Lope de Vega. Chabukiani was one of the first to create a new choreographic language by means of his own particular blend of folk dance and classical ballet. To the tuneful music by Alexander Krein, Chabukiani asserted the importance of male dance, furthering in particular the notion of the "heroic" style.  Laurencia was premiered of 1939 at the Kirov Theatre.  Leading parts were performed by Natalia Dudinskaya (Laurencia), Vakhtang Chabukiani (Frondoso) and Tatiana Vecheslova (Pascuala). In 1956 the ballet was staged at the Bolshoi Theatre where Vakhtang Chabukiani partnered Maya Plisetskaya.

Following the St Petersburg premiere of Laurencia in June 2010, London will be the first city to witness the historical revival of this famous ballet, after a forty year absence from the Russian stage, in a new full-length production created for the Mikhailovsky Ballet by Mikhail Messerer.

Running time: 1hr 40mins

Please note: there are no surtitles in this production.

More information on the London Season of the Mikhailovsky Ballet website: http://www.mikhailovsky.ru/london2010

Official website of the Mikhailovsky Theatre: http://www.mikhailovsky.ru/en