This Tuesday, August 9, the Astral Theater will host a Gala at Tribute to the great Argentine dancer Olga Ferri, whose death marks ten years on September 15th. The Gala is organized by the Fundación Ballet Estudio, directed by Marisa Ferri, and leading figures from the Teatro Colón, the Teatro Argentino de La Plata and guest artists participate in the show.

The program opens with the beautiful adage of the second act of Gisella by Jules Perrot which is followed by another precious adage: that of the second act of Swan Lake, by Mario Petipa; then the inspired duet of cut number 1 by Mauricio Wainrot and then what is usually called “A piece of courage”: the double step of the corsair.

Later, the famous solo the death of the swan by Mijail Fokin and finally a great closure made by Mario Galizzi and in which the entire cast participates.

more freebies

As part of the celebration the dancer Cecilia Figaredo will receive the Olga Ferri Lifetime Achievement Award. It is the second edition of this award which was established in 2021 by the Art and Culture Association.

Mario Galizzi, current director of the Ballet del Colón, is in charge of this Tribute Gala.

-Mario, how was the program chosen?

-The idea was to make a Gala that could be seen all ballet scenes that were Olga’s hits. But today the repertoire is different; that’s how we chose, for example, the pas de deux di the corsair, like a kind of shiny brooch, but which he never actually played. Olga was sublime Gisellain Swan Lakethat are part of the program.

-He also danced neoclassical works …

-Yes of course. Works that were brought to the Colón as John of Zarissa. But she was above all a pure classical dancer; his Gisella He was considered one of the ten best in the world of all time. He danced the entire ballet in London with the London Festival Ballet and subsequently toured Europe.

an international star

Was the London Festival Ballet what is currently known as the English National Ballet?

Yes, but today it is different. The London Film Festival was a very renowned company among other things because has hired big stars as guest dancers. And Olga was one of them.

For this reason, due to its presence abroad, he was the most important Argentine artist for me. It is true that Liliana Belfiore (editor’s note: Argentine prima ballerina) was part of the London Festival, but Olga was a guest star. It is another story.

-What do you mean?

-He never left the Colón Theater: he traveled and returned. Imagine it premiered in London Swan Lake in Jack Carter’s version and danced the witch boy, also by Carter, with John Gilpin, one of the great English dancers. Things like that.

But he always came back. I believe that no other dance artist has represented the country like her, precisely because he shone abroad, but he never left the Ballet del Colón. She was a real exception.

-You had a huge number of students, were you one of them?

-I knew her, of course, since I was a student at the Instituto del Colón. she was the big one dancer; I have always seen her on the stage of the Theater and I admired her very much. Then I went to work in Europe and when I got back I was able to dance Coppellia, which was his farewell. As for the question, I was not his pupil but the opposite (Series).

– How was it?

-Olga was already retired and had his own studio; I had known her during the time she was a depository teacher for the Ballet del Colón and I was part of the company. A few years later she asked me if I would like to teach in her studio, alternating with her, and that she would send me her students.

-A great honor.

-And not only. She entered the classroom with the students and she did most of the lesson even though she had been away for a long time. I wonder if we, the teachers, are responsible for the young dancers not knowing our great artists of the past. These types of gala are necessary.

Information

The Olga Feri tribute gala will be held on Tuesday 9 August at 8.00 pm at the Astral Theater, Corrientes 1639. The ticket is equivalent to a toy for the benefit of the Garrahan Hospital Foundation.

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