How did you first get into ballet? 

Ballet is a universe where roles constantly change. I would prefer not to highlight
certain periods, but to pay attention to something else – how we can preserve the art
of ballet. The responsibility lies not only with choreographers and dancers, but in
audiences as well. Without an audience, a ballet performance cannot take place. It is
the audience who appreciates a fantastic live performance, and it is the audience
with their applause that feeds the artists with positive energy, which gives strength
for new achievements. 

How many shows does the company perform each year?

Varna International Ballet is a troupe that is young, energetic and have lots of
performing experience, with a long history. Sixty years ago, the world’s first
international ballet competition was held in Varna, which immediately made this city
one of the ballet capitals of the world. 

The National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Varna has been trying to keep the ballet
bar high all these decades.  Thanks to Bulgaria now being a country within the
European Union, it is now possible to invite talented dancers from all over the world
more actively, and now nowadays the Company includes dancers from ten countries.
Today Varna International Ballet is one of the most active and creative European
companies, which has already had seven ballet premieres in the last year.

Which of the three shows you are presenting is your favourite, and why? 

All three productions the Company is bringing to the UK are audience favourites and
all three of them have a special place in my heart. The first original 1877 production
of Swan Lake perhaps would be the most interesting for the audience with the
sequence of music as Pyotr Tchaikovsky composed it and as Julius Reisinger
choreographed the ballet. The core for all other Swan Lake interpretations is the
1895 Petipa-Ivanov production and Ricardo Drigo’s music arrangement.
Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet has got a powerful music score and original
choreography.

We use images projected on the backdrop to accompany each scene. The audience
is not distracted with hard sets onstage and changeovers, but follows the ballet line
and smoothly projected images appropriate for each scene.

Which dance performances have you seen that have inspired you the most,
apart from Varna International Ballet?

We follow activity and new productions of ballet companies worldwide with great
interest, including the UK. Keeping up with ballet tendencies we must know
achievements and progress of other companies. The audience know and love British
ballet companies with their tradition and high standards, and as a professional
company, we understand how difficult is to compete in quite a competitive market.