The Ankara State Opera and Ballet (ADOB) will offer the ballet of the great love story in William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" accompanied by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's compositions on April 4.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), ADOB Director Volkan Ersoy, one of the choreographers of the work, said that they made great efforts for this ballet and that he prepared the choreography with Armağan Davran.
"We listened to all of Tchaikovsky's music for six to seven months. We first prepared the music choreography with the libretto that we created by ourselves, by listening to all the symphonies, quartets and ballets of the great artist. We thought how we could reflect every scene in 'Romeo and Juliet.' This is a first in the world," he noted.
The İzmir State Opera and Ballet premiered the work in 2016. The ADOB added the ballet to its repertoire during the 2016-2017 season. Ersoy said that they are very excited to stage the performance in the capital Ankara this season.
Ersoy said that they invited former DOB General Manager and ballet dancer Meriç Sümen Kanan to instruct dancers that will perform in "Romeo and Juliet."
"It was very significant to get emotional and technical support from such a guide. His knowledge, experience, comfort on the stage and information about reflecting a work to the audience is very valuable. He supported us very much," he continued.
Ersoy said: "The ovation of our audience is what we live for. Art lovers follow us. This makes us happy and excited. Our tickets are generally sold out in the first minutes."
In the performance, Özge Başaran plays the role of Juliet. Noting that she has been dancing for years, Başaran said: "The only work that I wanted to perform before quitting dance was 'Romeo and Juliet.' I feel really lucky. It is a very special role featuring a dramatic and great love. We will try to reflect this on stage."
Başaran noted that they will present the performance with unusual choreography, and the dancers will add their own interpretations.
Özge Onat, who plays the role of Lady Capulet in the ballet, stressed that she is one of the dramatic characters. "Lady Capulet is a passionate character. It is a role that will contribute to my development in dance. I am happy to take part in the play."
Burak Kayıhan acts as Romeo in the ballet. He said: "On April 4, 'Romeo and Juliet' will be presented in Ankara. Ballet requires much effort. To reflect characters is very difficult. The preparation period is spent reading the book, watching movie adaptations and thinking what an artist should reflect in a role. As we cannot speak in the work, we try to give every detail with our body. This is why we make more effort. I think everybody will like this old and precious work."
Awarded choreographers
Choreographed by Volkan Ersoy, who won Best Ballet Production and Best Choreography prizes at the Donizetti Classical Music Awards with the ballet "Murad IV," and Armağan Davran, "Romeo and Juliet" is ready to be presented on April 4. The decor belongs to Çağda Çitkaya, while the costumes were prepared by Sevtaç Demirer. The light designer is Fuat Gök.
Murat Cem Orhan and Sunay Muratov will take turns conducting the orchestra. The ballet features Özge Başaran, Mine İzgi, Sultan Menteşe, Burak Kayıhan, Eren Keleş, İlhan Durgut, İlhan Durgut, Burak Kayıhan, Eren Keleş, Eren Keleş, İlhan Durgut, Kadir Okurer, Kadir Okurer, Umut Can Arzuman, Uluç Aytan, Etkin Yüzer, Özge Onat, Gizem Tuncel, Ezgi Sarıoğlu, Hakan Odabaşı, Taner Oğuzhan, Güleycan Kocabey, Ezgi Sarıoğlu, Beril Baştürk, Ertuğrul Bolat, Mert Kocaay and Serhat Elifer as dancers.
