WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Anastasia Sheveleva – The performance in the US next year by the famed Mariinsky Ballet will showcase the company's breadth, Fateev explained.
"I suggested bringing [choreographer Alexei] Ratmansky’s ‘Little Humpbacked Horse’ next year. We try to alternate classical and modern ballets that we bring here to show different facets of talent and oeuvre at the Mariinsky," he told Sputnik.
In 2016, the legendary Russian ballet company returned to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC with Marius Petipa’s "Raymonda," which is considered to be the last grand ballet of the 19th century.
"I believe that ‘Raymonda’ is an unheralded ballet that we don't take on tours, and we had to fill in the gap. That is why we showed it in California this season and now brought it here," Fateev said, adding that it is one of the best classical ballets.
"We were received very warmly and with a lot of love, as always," Fateev said of the performances on February 23-28 at the Kennedy Center.
"Raymonda" is the last ballet by Petipa that the famous choreographer produced on the Mariinsky stage in collaboration with composers Pyotr Chaikovsky and young Alexander Glazunov, the deputy director explained.
Asked how he felt after the performance, Fateev said, "I feel satisfied, it’s always a pleasure to watch a good ballet — you feel proud of the troupe, of the city, of the country. I don’t want to sound snobbish but the Russian ballet is the best in the world and no one can dance classical ballets as the Russians, and especially as the Mariinsky."
This season, in September-October 2015, the Mariinsky visited San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Orange County, where the company performed "Raymonda" and "Cinderella." It was the first time when the Mariinsky performed "Raymonda" in North America.
