Frequent collaborators and guests of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Slovene National Theatre Maribor Ballet, this time with orchestral accompaniment of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Simon Krečič, will perform Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faun choreographed by Edward Clug, as a world premiere, and Shchedrin’s Carmen, choreographed by Valentina Turcu. The performances are scheduled for the 15, 16 and 17 July on the Island of Lokrum.
Edward Clug, recognized across Europe as a dancer and choreographer, during the past ten years, attracted attention of the international audience because of its distinctive choreographic style and as an artistic director he managed to position Ballet Ensemble SNG Maribor to on the global dance map. At the suggestion of Mladen Tarbuk world premiere of Faun, Clug stages the two dancer in a "natural surroundings, under a starry sky, surrounded by a shimmering sea of Lokrum. This play embodies the image of hunting, in which the man "hunter" dreams of it’s female "prey". In the end, he manages to catch her and lay her down on his stone bed, still warm from the late afternoon sun. Gay Žmavc plays the role of Faun, and his nymph is Tetiana Svetlična. Costumes are designed by Leo Kulas, set design by Edward Clug and lighting design by Thomas Premzl.
Valentina Turcu, one of the most creative dance artists in Slovenia whose accomplishments range from ballet with plot to contemporary ballet performances and comprehensive work in the field of opera and drama productions, is already familiar to Festival audience. Her Carmen, premiered at the National Theatre in Maribor in 2014, will for the first time be performed with live orchestra performing. Carmen is one of the most original and most successful works of Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin created in 1967 and was dedicated to his wife, Soviet prima ballerina and star of the Bolshoi Theatre, Maya Plisetskaya. Choreography of Valentina Turcu focuses on sensual dance magnetism that emanates from the erotic power of libido of the "decadent" protagonists Carmen. The libretto is based on the basic premise of plot - erotic power of women, freedom of sexual experimentation and the impossibility of its "integration" in the love triangle consisting of Carmen (Catarina de Meneses), Don José (Anton Bogov) and Escamillo (Sergiu Moga). The unique aura of performance is visually complemented by magical costumes of the world-famous artist Michal Negrin.
New Lokrum stage is located in the area of the ruins of the Benedictine monastery and the realization of ballet performances would not have been possible without the support and donations of Reservation Lokrum, and without sponsorship of HEP.
Boat ride to Lokrum is included in the ticket price. Ships take off from the Old City port at 20:30 and 20:45. Tickets are available at the box office in the ground floor of the Festival Palace (Od Sigurate 1) and in Luža Bell Tower.