On 31 May, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake will be performed at the Astana Opera as part of the Operaliya 2026 International Music Festival. While the musical component of the evening already guarantees the highest standards, the audience is in for an extra surprise. Mariinsky Theatre stars Maria Iliushkina and Even Capitaine, both well-known to Astana audiences, will dance the lead roles of Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried. This marks the second time the principal dancers have participated in the festival, having completely won over local audiences last year.
Prima ballerina Maria Iliushkina has over thirty roles in her repertoire, and critics note that every one of her stage appearances is a memorable event. In Swan Lake, she faces the challenge of performing the dual role of Odette and Odile. This demands not only technical mastery but also a complete psychological transformation: moving from the fragile, pure White Swan to the energetic, seductive Black Swan. Iliushkina herself admitted in an interview that Tchaikovsky’s music anchors her performance, noting: “It already holds all the nuances of these characters. The key is not just to change your demeanour, but to live out each heroine’s experience sincerely and truthfully in the moment.”
“Returning to the Astana Opera stage, and so soon at that, is an immense joy for us. During our last visit, we noted the exceptional calibre of the dancers, their deep passion for the profession, and their profound dedication to their craft. Such commitment is always a source of great inspiration. One must absolutely highlight the merits of the artistic director of the Astana Opera Ballet, Altynai Asylmuratova, both in nurturing the younger generation and in her work with the company’s dancers. She was previously a brilliant prima ballerina with the Mariinsky Theatre and the artistic director of the Vaganova Academy. During this visit, we will perform Swan Lake. From an acting perspective, this ballet can be considered one of the most demanding productions in the repertoire – it requires the creation of two fully realized, powerful, yet entirely antithetical characters. This production was the first major role of my artistic career, and to this day, my coach and I continue to work on it in the studio, searching for new nuances and tonal shades. Whether we succeed or not is for the audience to decide,” the principal dancer said.
Her stage partner, Even Capitaine, is French by birth and has dreamed of dancing at the Mariinsky Theatre since childhood. His journey to this celebrated stage, however, proved to be a long and winding one. A graduate of both the École de Danse de l’Opéra national de Paris and the Belarusian State Choreographic College, he spent seven years with the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus. There, he performed leading roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, and the Carmen Suite. He made his Mariinsky Theatre debut in July 2022 as Solor in La Bayadère, and was promoted to first soloist in 2023. Notably, it was as a partnership that he and Maria Iliushkina won the Big Ballet television competition on the Rossiya-Kultura channel, performing six different duets within a remarkably short filming schedule.
Volumes could be written about Swan Lake itself. The ballet achieved true triumph in 1895, when Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov staged their definitive version. It was then that the famous 32 fouettés were introduced into Odile’s role – a feat of technical prowess that has since become the signature of ballerinas worldwide. This landmark production also introduced the motif of the twin swans and the protagonists’ tragic struggle against fate, concepts that remain the foundation of all classical adaptations today.
This production of Swan Lake, staged by Altynai Asylmuratova, artistic director of the Astana Opera Ballet and People’s Artist of Russia, is specifically designed to allow the entire company to shine. From the principals to the corps de ballet, the dancers dazzle in the exquisite ‘white acts’, the divertissements, and the court scenes. Critics have frequently noted that the sinuous lines of the swans and the flawless uniformity of the ensemble showcase the impeccable training and trademark precision that define the Astana Opera Ballet. Today, this vibrant young company is widely celebrated as a ‘a jewel in the artistic crown of Asia’.
According to critics, the production’s primary strengths lie in its meticulous adherence to the Petipa-Ivanov canon, beautifully complemented by the vibrant energy of the young performers, the grandeur of the court scenes, and the flawless synchronicity of the corps de ballet. Since its 2018 premiere at the Astana Opera, the production has toured to Muscat (Oman) and Valencia (Spain), playing to sold-out houses and earning standing ovations from international audiences.
On 31 May, the Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Ruslan Baimurzin, recipient of the Order of Qurmet.
The performance begins at 5 pm.
