"Do You Remember Dolly Bell," a ballet by the Sarajevo National Theatre, is coming to the stage of the Croatian National Theatre in Split. Based on the eponymous novel by Abdullaha Sidran, celebrated for its iconic film adaptation, the choreography, direction, and dramaturgical concept are all brought to life by the acclaimed choreographer Staša Zurovac. Zurovac himself describes the production as "neither strictly ballet nor drama, but possessing its authenticity derived from the ensemble itself and the creative team behind the show." Sarajevo dancers will grace the stage of the Split National Theatre on Sunday, May 12th, starting at 8 p.m.
Audiences can obtain tickets for this and other dance performances in May at significantly reduced prices through the "Celebrate Dance Day - A Month of Dance" campaign.
Ballet enthusiasts will have the opportunity to revel in the fusion of music by Alexandra Balanescu, choreography by the renowned Staša Zurovac, and exceptional costume designs by Bjanke Adžić-Ursulov and set designs by Josip Lovrenović. "Choreography is not just shaping dance movements to music, but much more than that when creating a theatrical performance. It encompasses music and body, costume and set design, lighting, and dramaturgy, almost everything that constitutes it, because it is about the non-verbal world of creation. Sidran's world is incredibly rich, primarily as a literary language full of the poetry of people, places, and times. On the other hand, it is very rich in the visual aesthetics of the setting, and even more so in empathy with the emotion of the ordinary person affected by the world of that story," says Staša Zurovac, former principal dancer of the Croatian National Theatre Ballet in Zagreb, who, towards the end of an exceptional dance career, dedicated himself to choreography. Many of his successful choreographies were based on literary motifs.
The title role of Dolly Bell is portrayed by Tamara Ljubičić, with other protagonists including: Masafumi Okuzono, Mihail Mateescu, Albina Huskić, Boris Vidaković, Bulat Gareev, Denis Zhuchenko, Sabina Sokolović, Admir Kalkan, and Amina Sulejmanagić.
The "Celebrate Dance Day - A Month of Dance" campaign includes dance performances: "La Stravaganza / Noces" (May 10th and 11th) by the Split National Theatre Ballet, an unconventional and impressive original work by one of today's greatest dancers and choreographers, Angelin Preljocaj; "Do You Remember Dolly Bell?" (May 12th), and at the end of the month (May 27th, 28th, and 29th), three performances of the spectacular ballet "Grand Finale: The Turtle and the Phone Booth" by the renowned Israeli choreographer Nadav Zelner, in co-production with the Ivan pl. Zajc National Theatre and the Split National Theatre as part of K-HNK. A discount of 30% is available for the purchase of two or three tickets for any of these performances, 50% for four or five tickets, and a whopping 60% for six to eight purchased tickets on regular ticket prices.