GABRIELLE CHANEL ballet with Svetlana Zakharova

Svetlana Zakharova with stars of the Bolshoi

Svetlana Zakharova, internationally renowned ballerina and the Bolshoi’s prima returns to Dubai Opera on 15 January 2025 with a one-night performance only – MODANSE, a double bill produced by MuzArts. A towering figure in the 21st century ballet will be joined onstage by a star-studded cast of dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet.

The night will open with a ballet Come Un Respiro (Like a Breath) by Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti created specifically for Svetlana Zakharova. The musical basis of the performance was formed by various pieces by George Frederic Handel. Incidentally, the Baroque period is present not only in the music, but also in dance choreography emphasised by stylish and daring costumes designed exclusively for the ballet by Helena de Medeiros.

The second part of the performance will feature a tribute to Gabrielle Chanel, the legendary couturier and the founder of CHANEL Fashion House. Ballet Gabrielle Chanel is the collaboration by choreographer Yury Possokhov and composer Ilya Demutsky with Alexei Frandetti who created the libretto and acted as director.

CHANEL’s Fashion studio under the impetus of Virginie Viard's Artistic Direction has designed more than 85 costumes specifically for Gabrielle Chanel ballet.

The performance narrates Chanel’s journey that has forever overturned the world of the 20th century fashion. Chanel was inspired by dance, as movement and a metaphor of freedom, as a language and an expression of beauty.

The event is organised by M Premiere and MuzArts.