On November 6 the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus will host the only performance of the ballet Two Annas. This is a story in dance about the two legends of the 20th century, Anna Akhmatova and Anna Pavlova.
The ballet Two Annas is a collaborative project of the production company MuzArts and the International Festival of Arts “Diaghilev P.S.” Its premiere took place in February 2025 in Saint Petersburg on the stage of the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater. The ballet about two great women of the 20th century, symbols of the Silver Age, – poetess Anna AKHMATOVA and ballerina Anna PAVLOVA – became one of the brightest events in the cultural life of Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
The production includes two parts, each with its unique style and mood. It was not the biographical accuracy but the emotional resonance of the outstanding women that the choreographers focused on. The accent is on their inner struggles and the difficult choice between love and art they had to make.
In Yuri Possokhov’s ballet the audience will see… two Akhmatovas. Prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre Eleonora Sevenard transforms Akhmatova’s fate into the language of dance, while Akhmatova’s words are performed by the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater actress Polina Malikova. The plot centers on the poetess and the two main men in her life: her husband, poet Nikolay Gumilev and the artist Amedeo Modigliani.
In the Pavlova part, choreographer Pavel Glukhov brings into focus the ballerina’s encounters with the men without whom, perhaps, her life would be hard to imagine. Cecchetti, Dandré, Vertinsky, Chaplin...
A bright adornment of the production are the costumes by Russian designer Svetlana Tegin. Inspired by the atmosphere of the Silver Age, she created images highlighting the heroins’ characters that harmoniously weave into the overall aesthetics of the production.
The performance will feature: the leading ballet soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre Eleonora Sevenard, Anastasia Stashkevich, Elizaveta Kokoreva, Vyacheslav Lopatin, Alexei Putintsev, Ulyana Moksheva, renowned Russian dancer Ildar Gaynutdinov, leading actress of the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater Polina Malikova and others.
The production team includes renowned creators: librettist and director Felix Mikhailov, choreographers Yuri Possokhov and Pavel Glukhov, composer Ilya Demutsky, set designer Maria Tregubova, costume designer Svetlana Tegin, video designer Ilya Starilov, lightning designer Ivan Vinogradov.
What critics say
“This is not just a ballet, it is a work that brings together poetry, music, theatre and dance. Such synthesis of arts does not occur every day, and few directors would dare to attempt such a bold experiment.
A stunning performance that I recommend everyone to see. Everything here is beautiful: music, movement, sets, costumes, directing. I am happy that in our difficult times such wonderful works of art are being created!”
Alexander Velikovsky, musicologist
“The ballet Two Annas became a sensation. Here drama theatre, poetry, music, and dance are interwined in absolute harmony. And each of the arts is completely equal here. Poetry, music and choreography matched perfectly.”
Natalia Nikolaychik, theatre critic
“The ballet Two Annas has become one of the most striking events in the cultural life of the capital recently.”
DANCE.ru