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Choreographer Asen Nakov strikes a chord as the modern dance company's season gets underway

Ballet Arabesque takes us deep into The Dante Secret

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Photo: BTA

The long-awaited premiere of Ballet Arabesque's The Dante Secret has captivated Bulgarian cultural circles and become the focus of discussion since the end of the last theatre season.

The production is created by an extremely strong artistic team, choreographed by Arabesque soloist Asen Nakov - who has already shown his exceptional talent in works such as Small Rules (2017) and Mirror of Time (2014).

The original score is composed by Rumen Boyadzhiev Jr, who has collaborated with Nakov in the past. The set design is by Katrin Krasimirova, the costumes by Adriyana Naydenova and the playwright is Mayia Pramatarova. The performance features the entire company of Bulgaria's only state ballet company dedicated to modern and experimental dance.



The Dante Secret is an intelligent, brilliant work by a group of talented collaborators. The scenography dynamically supports the action while closely following the choreographer's vision, creating a sense of magic, darkness, surrealism and ethereal beauty - achieved through a blend of real sets, multimedia and 3D mapping.

The costumes are perfect, at one point echoing the finale of Bob Fosse's All That Jazz, at another adding Gothic and then Elizabethan elements to suit the action. In other contexts, they embrace minimalism to ensure that nothing diverts the audience's attention from the dancers' movements.

But it's not about eclecticism. According to the concept described in the Arabesque preview, "The Dante Secret is a kind of journey through the centuries and ideas from antiquity and the Middle Ages to the present, with references to the classical legacy. The performance is now a view from above, now a glimpse of a character or a story from the story of Dante's Divine Comedy".



It is almost impossible for the spectator to separate the music from the dance in this work. The supreme syncretism achieved is probably due to the mutual respect, even admiration, shared by the two artists.

Apart from the talent of the choreographer, whom the composer Rumen Boyadzhiev Jr describes as "on the verge of genius - perhaps even beyond it", the richness of this performance lies in its profound subject matter, presented without the slightest hint of pretentiousness.



The Dante Secret is watched in one breath, thanks in part to the contrasts and the seamless way in which one scene flows into another. It is deep and captivating, excellently balanced in its mix of duets, solos, and group scenes. Both the energy and the mood are carefully calibrated, keeping the viewer glued to their seat and breathless from the very beginning to the end of this 74-minute gem.

The production is philosophical, serious and deep, yet at times comedic. In the end, the message remains bright and optimistic. Or, as Asen Nakov sums up in renowned choreographer Mila Iskrenova's podcast, Ballet Arabesque Speaks: "In life, darkness and light exist in symbiosis, and wisdom stands in the middle - it is our experience and our desire for choice. Darkness is frightening to those who are alone and unenlightened. Hell is what you choose for yourself; heaven is here on earth. It is your choice whether you are in hell or in heaven.



The season of Ballet Arabesque opened with The Dante Secret at the Musical Theatre in Sofia. There are two opening nights: the first was on 11 October and the next will be this Sunday, 20 October. The show will also be performed on November 16. 

Pictured from left to right: Asen Nakov, Mayia Pramatarova, Rumen Boyadzhiev Jr.
Asen Nakov's premiere is an important event in the cultural life of Bulgaria. Hopefully, it will be shown in other theatres outside the country, as The Dante Secret is a work of art that deserves to be appreciated by erudite audiences worldwide.

Photos: BTA, Facebook/ Rumen Boyadzhiev, Facebook/ Ballet Arabesque
Translated and posted by E. Radkova

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