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Artistic Director of the Ballet Company Thomas Edur, +372 6831 307, t.edur@opera.ee
Assistant to the Artistic Director of the Ballet Company Age Oks, a.oks@opera.ee
Administrative Manager Andrus Kämbre, +372 6831 206, +372 5296 909, andrus.kambre@opera.ee
Ballet repetiteurs Tatjana Laid, Elita Erkina, Viktor Fedortshenko, Katrin Kivimägi, Marina Kesler
Concerts masters Anneli Tohver, Vladima Jeremjan, Larissa Beresneva
Stage Managers Jüri Kruus, Anton Osul
Masseurs Jüri Gross, Ivar Eensoo
There are 56 dancers in the troupe of the Estonian National Ballet. The repertoire of the 2011/2012 season includes “Othello” (choreographer Marina Kesler), “The Nutcracker” (choreographer Ben Stevenson), Kenneth MacMillan’s “Manon” (stager Karl Burnett), “Coppélia” (choreographer Ronald Hynd), “The Three Musketeers” (choreographer David Nixon), “Swan Lake” (choreographer Tiit Härm), “Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs” (choreographer Gyula Harangozó), “La Sylphide” (stager Frank Andersen) and “Symphony No. 2” (choreographer Uwe Scholz). At the beginning of the season, Lithuanian National Ballet is visiting the Estonian National Opera with the performances of “Romeo and Juliet” (choreographer Vladimir Vassiliev) and “Red Giselle” (choreographer Boris Eifmann). On the 1st of October there is the world premiere of Tiit Helimets’ “Time” that speaks of the use of time by contemporary people. On November the 5th, there is the premiere of Dmitri Harchenko’s dance performance “OOO / Out of Opera”, the second performance in the series of “AtticDance”, followed by Kenneth Flak’s and Külli Roosna’s “God Studies. After the World” on February 28. On November 9, Estonian National Ballet visits Paide and gives a ballet evening consisting of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” Act 2 and Scholz’s “Symphony No. 2” within the festival “Opera and Ballet in the Heart”. Renowned Estonian ballet dancer, modern dancer and pedagogue-repetiteur Saima Kranig celebrates this autumn her 25th year on stage and 25th year as a teacher. The grand double-jubilee is celebrated with a ballet gala on November 27 at the Estonian National Opera Chamber Hall. On December the 2nd, “Rosalinde”, a swashbuckling and humorous ballet to the music of Johann Strauss will premiere (choreographer Ronald Hynd). On April 29 international Dance Day is celebrated with a glamorous ballet gala and ERGO Dance Awards will be announced. On May 11, the first full-length ballet by Thomas Edur “Modigliani – the Cursed Artist” to the music of Tauno Aints will premiere.
From the first attempts of dancing to national ballet
Dancing reached the stage of the Estonian National Opera already before the First World War. At that time, dancing was just limited to some movements in musical and drama productions, i.e. it was limited to the so-called evolutions. The first dance composition outside an operetta, the ballet-pantomime “A Dream in the Sculptor's Workshop”, was performed on the stage of the Estonian National Opera in 1914 with Nina Smirnova and Robert Rood in the leading roles. The play was staged by Nina Smirnova. The first salaried ballet troupe was established in the theatre in 1918. The troupe consisted of the following members: Lilian Looring, Rahel Olbrei, Robert Rood, Emmy Holz, and Sessy Smironina-Sevun as the troupe leader. As from 1919-1920, independent ballet evenings were organized in “Estonia”. On March 1, 1919, “Ballet Evening”, consisting of two parts, was performed (choreographer Smironina-Sevun) and the two-act ballet “The Evening of Choreographic Études” was on stage on November 25, 1919, staged by Vera Berting. These were still single attempts.
The first “real” full-evening ballet performance was on stage in 1922 – Delibes' “Coppélia“premiered on September 28. It was staged by Viktorina Krieger (Kriger) from the Moscow Great Theatre who also danced the leading role.
In 1926, Rahel Olbrei established a permanent dance troupe in at the Estonian National Opera. Olbrei led the ballet troupe until 1944. She had learned classical ballet under Sessy Smironina- Sevun and Eugenia Litvinova, and perfected her skills in modern dance in Germany under Mary Wigman and Rudolf Laban. It was Olbrei who gave the ballet troupe of the Estonian National Opera its personal look in the first half of 20th century. Adam's “Giselle” (1926), Tchaikovsky's “The Nutcracker” (1936) and “Swan Lake” (1940), Glier's “The Red Poppy” (1939), the first Estonian original ballet by Tubin “Kratt” (1944), etc were staged.
In the turmoil of the Second World War, several female soloists and the ballet master Rahel Olbrei fled from Estonia. Luckily, the core of the troupe stayed intact. During 1944—1951, the troupe was led by Anna Ekston who had studied in Litvinova's ballet studios and danced in Antwerp. She was also the one to establish the first Estonian national ballet school in 1946. The name of the school was Tallinn National Choreography School (currently Tallinn Ballet School). One of the most remarkable events during the post-war period was the ballet “Swan Lake” (1954) staged by the Russian ballet master Vladimir Burmeister. This stage production stood out because of Helmi Puur who danced the parts of Odette and Ottilie.
The political “thaw” of the 1960s in the Soviet Union led to major changes at the Estonian National Opera as well. Young choreographers Enn Suve, Iraida Generalova and Mai Murdmaa, who had studied in GITIS (the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts), emerged. Enn Suve, who was the Head Ballet Master during the years 1967—1973, brought the works of the 20th century on stage. Shchedrin's and Bizet's “Carmen” (1969) and Shchedrin's “Anna Karenina” (1973) were his best stage productions.
Estonian ballet of the second half of the 20th century has often been called Mai Murdmaa's (she ran the ballet troupe of the Estonian National Opera from 1974 —2001) authorial theatre. In her ballets, Murdmaa focussed mostly on philosophical-existential topics and her choreography was often based on the 20th century music, incl. works by Estonian composers. The following performances were staged with Murdmaa's choreography: Tamberg's “Ballet Symphony” and “Joanna Tentata”, Sing's “The Songs of Death and Birth”, with Pärt's music “Brightening” and “Crime and Punishment”, Sumera's “Story of Anselm”, Tormis' “Estonian Ballads”, etc. But also “Woman” to music by Bero, Prokofjev's “The Prodigal Son”, Ravel's “Daphnis and Chloe”, Bartók's “The Miraculous Mandarin”, Gershwin's “An American in Paris”, Barber's “Medeia”, Stravinski's “The Firebird”, etc. Murdmaa's multi-faceted and stylistically diverse works turned the troupe members into diverse dancer personalities who combined good physical abilities and great suggestive acting skills.
During 2001-2009, Tiit Härm was the artistic director of the Estonian National Opera Ballet Company. Since autumn 2009, the company has been led by Toomas Edur. They both have been internationally recognized dancers.
Very different talented dancers have been active at the Estonian National Opera over different periods of time, incl. Klaudia Maldutis, Juta Arg, Erika Määrits, Veera Leever, Geeni Raudsepp, Inge Põder, Artur Koit, Boris Blinov, Uno Puusaag, Verner Hagus, Helmi Puur, Eike Joasoo, Ülle Ulla, Ilmar Silla, Verner Loo, Väino Aren, Ago-Endrik Kerge, Aime Leis, Tiiu Randviir, Juta Lehiste, Tamara Soone, Larissa Kaur, Jüri Lass, Tiit Härm, Vjatšeslav Maimussov, Jānis Garancis, Jevgeni Neff, Aleksandr Basihhin, Elita Erkina, Irina Fomina-Härm, Inge Arro, Saima Kranig, Olga Tšitšerova, Tatjana Laid, Kaie Kõrb, Tatjana Voronina, Larissa Sintsova, Juri Jekimov, Viesturs Jansons, Meelis Pakri, Toomas Rätsep, Inna Sõrmus, Age Oks, Toomas Edur, Igor Vassin, Stanislav Jermakov, Priit Kripson, Linnar Looris, Viktor Fedortšenko, Eve Andre, Marina Chirkova, Marika Muiste, Galina Lauš, Luana Georg, Heidi Kopti, Olga Rjabikova, Olga Malinovskaja, Vladimir Arhangelski, Anatoli Arhangelski, Sergei Upkin, Aleksandr Prigorovski, Maksim Tšukarjov, Artjom Maksakov, etc. Over the past ten years, young talented choreographers Marina Kesler and Oksana Titova have stood out. Their works have also been internationally recognized.
The troupe has performed in Finland, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Spain, South America, Syria, the Philippines, Jordan, Kuwait, Hungary, Bulgaria, Wales etc.
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