GHETTO

a ballet to klezmer- music and music by Goran Bregovic

Choreography and Directing Mario Piazza

Re-creation Ludovic Party
Scenography Todor Demerov
Costume Artist Mariya Hristova
Soloists and corps de ballet of the Stara Zagora State Opera

Sarah – Aneliya Dimitrova
David – Pascuale Casiella
Chief Rabbi – Tomoki Ishigo
Hatikvah /the Soul/ – Romina Slavova
Four girlfriends – Martina Prefetto, Giulia Ragusa, Michela Kagnin, Nanako Imai
Four boyfriends – Kaito Takahashi, Frederico Pinto, Fiordi Lloha, Francesko Borirello
Rabbis – Kalin Lyubenov, Carlos Santos, Fragkiskos Sklikas, William Griffin, David Lopez
Women – Carmen Demirtas, Yuliyana Koeva, Natali Bratanova, Storm Norris,  Marta Perez, Marina Sorroche, Mariela Collaro,  Giulia Morgando, Elizabeth Ryznar,  Tsao U-Chen,  Aleksandra Ostatek,  Anemike Brus, Annemieke Bruce, Hszeh Fu-Chien,  Patricia Soares, Riho Hirano, Bogdana Sergeeva
With the special participation of Ofeliya Hristova /soprano/ and Rumen Kakamakov /solo violin/

A person closes himself in different kinds of ghettos – from religion, race and ethos through the ghetto of his personal perspective in life – wealth, intellect, emotions, to the ghetto of the virtual world, which threatens to empty him of authenticity. Their borders are crossed only through the energy of creativity. For the Jews, klezmer music expresses something innermost and sacred, which they never part with. A basic motif in the klezmer is the song “The Hope”, which today is the national anthem of the State of Israel.  The song is a leitmotif in the spectacle and is performed live by the opera prima of the Stara Zagora Opera, Ofeliya Hristova, and solo violin Rumen Kakamakov.

The action develops in three scenes. The first one is the Jewish wedding. The young couple (He and She), the Chief Rabbi, young people and the respected elderly Jews are celebrating. In the patriarchal idyll, there is place for everyone and all are welcome.

Unexpectedly, the wedding is interrupted. The men leave in an unknown direction and the women are left alone. Their plastic figure compositions remind of the Wailing Wall, the victims in the gas chambers, the suffering of the destroyed community.

The third part revives the interrupted wedding. The Chief Rabbi wraps the returning man in his abandoned shirt and takes him back to his father’s home. The celebration continues. The continuous rhythm of life preserves the spirit of the united community.

Mario Piazza was born in Montreal, Canada. He studied classical ballet in Italy and modern dance in the USA. He works as a choreographer with different troupes all over the world. The critics discover in his productions “bitter sweetness in the means of expression, which combines aggression with softness.” In 2018, he was awarded the prestigious “Order of Merit of the Italian Republic”.

Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes without an interval
Premiere: 21 May 2019