The Director Damir Urazymbetov presented the world premiere

On June 21, 2019, the world premiere took place at the State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet named after Abay. The audience was shown the performance of Damir Urazymbetov - the national ballet performance «Wanderings of Korkyt» performed by the world-famous ballet of Bulat Ayuhanov. The project was supported by the Foundation of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Elbasy.

Over 85 years of the existence of professional choreographic art in Kazakhstan, about twenty national ballets have been created. Within the framework of the Year of Youth, for the first time in the history of the musical theater of the country, a performance about the famous kobyz player Korkyt-ata was staged. The presentation caused an unprecedented excitement among the Almaty public. People came from other cities to see the premiere. The hall of the Opera and Ballet Theater named after Abay was crowded.

The performance was performed by the State Academic Dance Theater of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the direction of the People’s Artist of the Kazakh SSR Bulat Ayuhanov. For more than half a century, this theater has been contributing to the ballet art of Kazakhstan, as well as the near and far abroad, being one of the groups constantly touring throughout the country, in various parts of it.

The creator of the national ballet «Wanderings of Korkyt» was the theater director and choreographer Damir Urazymbetov - the author of ballet and drama performances, theatrical performances, concert programs, choreographic miniatures in Almaty, Nur-Sultan and St. Petersburg. «The theme of Korkyt is an image of eternity. A ballet about him must have appeared in the cultural space of Kazakhstan, and now we have the first one. Thanks to everyone who helped and supported us. Our performance is a big work of many people. Korkyt traveled in search of paradise, in search of a better place for his people. With this performance, we paid tribute and memory to him», said Damir Urazymbetov at a press conference before the premiere.

The performer of the main part, Diyar Akenev, shared his impressions of the work on the performance: «The process covered me with a head of some muddled, in a good sense, wave, very creative. I had to put all my skills and knowledge about Korkyt into a choreographic course, find the necessary plastic, delve into the musical material, which I really like. All the while preparing for the play flew on adrenaline. I came straight to life the last three weeks before the premiere. Either younger or older, but I felt that I live creatively full of blood: body and soul. Damir Duysenovich - production director - burst into our troupe like a whirlwind. He is young, lively, emotional. It was a pleasure to work with him, it's like a breath of fresh air. He enthusiastically charged and infected the whole troupe. Thanks to our viewers for the warm welcome that they understood everything and gave us their ovations».

In the performance, based on folk legends, the director touched upon various aspects of human existence. The life road of Korkyt opened four paths to him, on each of which he saw the destruction of the spiritual world of the individual. Overcoming doubts and disappointments, wandering from the Middle Ages to the present, Korkyt found the true path to perfection and eternal life, becoming one of the first baksy-shamans, the progenitor of kobyz.

«In the myths and legends of many nations of the world, music is a divine power, giving people strength, health, and even saving from death. The ancient inhabitants of the Great Steppe knew about the healing power of music, and the Kazakhs brought to our time the legends of the great Korkyt, who spent his life in search of immortality for people. Having walked around all four sides of the world, and making sure that Death triumphs everywhere, Korkyt creates a sacred kobyz, the sound of which protects all life on Earth from death. It is remarkable that one of the great legends of our ancestors (not in duration, but in the depth and magnitude of thought) was revived on the scene. The ballet creators saw in Korkyt not just another beautiful legend about the power of music, they heard in this ancient tale a formidable warning to contemporaries. The authors - the people of the twenty-first century, tell us that death is capable of taking «peaceful» guises that do not threaten a person with bloodshed. This is a religious sectarianism, an irrepressible craving for wealth and power, debauchery, and even science that turns people into robots, when people, preserving their physical bodies, die spiritually. Creatively interpreted legend has made Korkyt our contemporary, our protector, warning us about the paths leading to the death of the soul», says Professor Asiya Mukhambetova, the Doctor of Art History.

«Historical scenes are grateful that this is a fact of life, that they were real people. I love historical subjects, classics - Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Abay, Aitmatov. New productions are always a step forward. Damir is a very capable guy, active, beautifully shows and dances. I am pleased that everything is very musical. It makes me happy. I wish the new material is stuck in everyone's heart», shared the impressions about the performance of the People's Artist of the Kazakh SSR, the director and artistic director of the State Academic Dance Theater of the Republic of Kazakhstan Bulat Ayuhanov.

A team of Kazakhstani youth participated in the creation of the play, annually supported by competitions and projects of the Foundation of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Elbasy. The mission of the Foundation is to develop the unlimited potential of Kazakhstan society. On a systematic basis, the First President Foundation helps young talents, both in science and culture, by organizing professional development sites, implementing competitive programs and supporting initiatives and projects for young people.

The performance is set to the music of Korkyt, Ykylas, the folk-ethnographic ensemble «Turan». Solo on kobyz performed by Maksat Medeubek. Libretto by Damir Urazymbetov, written based on folk legends, was voiced by the owner of the State scholarship of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Zhukov. The costumes were created by the artist, laureate of the national theatrical award «Sakhnager» Lubov Vozzhenikova. Background pictures for projections are drawn by Polina Salavatova. For the performance, the winner of the Pushkin medal, holder of the Order «Kurmet» Bishop Gennady wrote the poem «Korkyt». The official information partner was the popular science magazine about choreographic art of Kazakhstan «Qazaq Ballet».