Christmas Gift

A fairytale ballet by Artem Ananyev, based on the composer's libretto by N.S. Leskov's story "The Unchangeable Ruble." "In N.S. Leskov's story "The Unchangeable Ruble," I found a fairytale... A true Russian Christmas fairytale—with the aroma of festive pie and magical lights. And the story's very idea—of faith in goodness and selflessness, capable of working miracles despite the 'brass pipes' of bragging and complacency—is relevant and modern.

Thus arose the concept for the fairytale ballet "The Christmas Gift," in which the past and the present meet, traditional Russian melodies meet their modern orchestral interpretation with the timbres of folk instruments, and Christmas scenes typical of old Russian traditions are transformed by modern choreography into something completely special and close in spirit to today's young audiences."

On Christmas Eve, a boy named Mikolasha dreams that his sister gives him an unchangeable ruble. He goes to the fair to give everyone presents. But the people's sincere gratitude leads to the opposite: Mikolasha, blinded by omnipotence, desires to be the center of the universe, to be honored and worshipped. As soon as he buys a gift not for his own good, but for his own vanity, the unchangeable ruble disappears, and Mikolasha awakens.

PERFORMERS:

N.N. Nekrasov Academic Folk Instruments Orchestra,

Principal Conductor - Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Andrei Shlyachkov;

Choreographic School of the Moscow State Gzhel Dance Theater, Artistic Director - People's Artist of the USSR Boris Akimov;

Mikolasha - Georgy Prorokov

Mikolasha's Sister - Nadezhda Zatulina

Girl in a Pink Dress - Victoria Sokolova

Girl in a Blue Dress - Anna Antonova

Yegorka the Shoemaker - Artur Kolotov

Konstantin the Coachman - Stepan Kraynov

Tall Thin Man - Ivan Lutsev

Scriptwriters and stage adaptation of N.S. Leskov's story "The Unchangeable Ruble" - Artem Ananyev and Irina Tushintseva;

Director - Alexandra Rudik;

Study Theater of the Moscow Choreographic School at the Gzhel Moscow State Academic Theatre of Theatre Arts, Moscow, December 15, 2021