Fairytales, rap music, and dance are the ingredients that the Ural Opera Ballet is using for a new performance, scheduled to happen this summer. The play takes inspiration from Pyotr Yershov’s famous poem “The Little Humpbacked Horse” and recreates the performance by Mariinsky Theatre dating back to 1912. The three-act ballet aims to surprise its audience through its combination of old and new elements, being the place where East and West meet.

Watching how classical ballet merges with Russian rap is surely a must-see for the aficionados but, due to the industry downfall, raising funds for stage props and costumes is quite difficult. The Opera needs help and asks all ballet lovers to involve in making this play come true through a crowdfunding campaign developed by Voskhod Agency.

The initiative allows anyone to be part of the preparation process of the play and write their names in the history of ballet. It’s in the fans’ hands to unlock the stage settings and props, as the Opera needs 4.8 million rubles (approximately €52,000) to put the play on scene. Enthusiasts can ring up the curtains of the performance and see one of the episodes from the ballet on the website supporting the initiative. Here, viewers are introduced to the main characters, who are dancing on an empty stage. There are 340 fragments in total, each revealing itself as donations are collected, eventually turning into a colorful show when the target is reached.

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Each fragment equals 15,000 rubles (around €160). But this doesn’t mean you can’t financially contribute as much as you want. For example, if you do choose to go with 15,000 rubles, besides revealing a new fragment, you’ll receive a VIP ticket to the premiere. For a 30,000 rubles support, you’ll get two invitations and so on. You are also allowed to choose a seat and a suitable day to see the premiere. However, if you can’t make it to the show, you will get a video recording of the play.

“This project is a chance for the theatre to go on with creating art during the pandemic and to execute this unique idea. The viewers get the chance to write their names in the history of ballet,” concludes the agency. So far, only nine fragments have been unlocked. By choosing to contribute, fans can be part of the creative process and see the results of their support on stage on 9, 10, 11 of July 2021.

Credits:

Client: Ural Opera Ballet

Agency: Voskhod Agency